Goryeo Outlander
by sandufus
Summary: A fusion of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and Korean drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. What if Moon Lovers happened the way Outlander did?
1. Eclipse

_She ran for dear life. She ran ignoring the sharp pains on the soles of her feet. She ran past neat rows of hedges and trees. She ran no longer caring why her surroundings only grew darker the longer time passed, until she could barely see where she was going. She had to get back to the palace ruins. She had to hope they were still there._

 _Please. Please. Somebody help me. Somebody find me._

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

It was a cool July morning in the year 2015 when Go Hajin awoke thinking nothing was ever going to change. Her fiance had left her for her best friend, leaving her with nothing but a pile of debt, a broken heart, and massive trust issues.

"Your life won't change simply because you wish it," Professor Choi had told her sadly a week before.

"I want to forget everything," she had cried, burying her head in her arms. "How did my life turn out like this?"

The professor sloshed his drink around in thoughtful silence. "You need a break. Tell you what… my friend and I are going on a trip next week to study a newly dug up historical site. Why don't you come with? Fresh air and a change of scenery might do you some good."

Staring out at the ruins of Cheondeokjeon palace, Hajin was glad she agreed. While the professor and his friend went underground to the royal catacombs, she opted to roam the grounds above.

The complex was huge, the grounds full of overgrown grass, wild flowers, creeping ivory and the sound of birds. Abandoned rooms, with gaping doors and smashed-in windows, surrounded her on every side. Despite how derelict the place looked, Hajin found it beautiful. The mystery of the lives lived and lost within these grounds made her feel insignificant… and in her insignificance, she forgot her problems.

Remembering all the things the professor had told her of the history of Goryeo, Hajin stepped out of the complex, and the sight that greeted her immediately took her breath away.

Early morning sunlight glinted off the large lake's surface, making it shine like diamonds. The lotus flowers were in full bloom for the summer and the majestic willows dipping their boughs into the water provided much-needed sanctuary.

She saw a strange, solitary figure standing on the banks across from her. She watched him for a while, wondering who he was and what he was doing, but then the man turned and sunlight glinted brightly off something he held in his hand, causing her to blink. When next she opened her eyes, the man had gone.

Shrugging, Hajin slipped off her pack and shoes and slowly waded into the water.

It was a cool July morning in the year 2015 when Hajin awoke thinking nothing was ever going to change. It was in that same morning when everything did.

The lake, which had been bright only seconds before, had started to dull. Reflected clearly on its surface, the solar eclipse progressed slowly. Fascinated, Hajin took one step closer, then another. She wanted to reach it. Touch it. She waded farther and farther in, the water reaching up to her thighs, soaking her dress. She didn't mind. She had spare clothes in her pack.

One more step and she would be standing at the very center of the dark moon. One more step and the light of the sun would disappear completely.

One more step and she found herself endlessly sinking to the bottom of the lake.

Frantically, she swam upwards. She reached around her for something, anything to hold onto, but despite being constantly buffeted by things unknown, there was nothing. The dark waters closed in, the loud buzz in her ears grew louder and louder until she could no longer hear the professor's voice, calling out her name.

"Hajin-shi! Go Hajin-shi!" The voices grew distant with every passing second.

 _Am I dying?_ Hajin had to try harder. She had to swim higher. _I'm here. Help me. Someone. Anyone._

Her lungs aflame, she looked up in desperation and saw the total eclipse right above her. She stared at the halo, bright and distorted and radiating. She saw the precise moment the moon moved again, inching past the blinding sun.

She was grateful she would at least die looking at the light.

And then, just when the buzzing was at its loudest, just when her lungs were about to give in, everything stopped. The force weighing her down let her go, her senses met with absolute silence and stillness, and her floating hand brushed against a hard surface. She grabbed it and pulled herself up, higher and higher until she finally met air.

Her first instinct was to inhale as deeply as she could, and in her haste, she swallowed a mouthful of water and ended up in coughing fits. She brushed her tears and crawled back towards the shallows. The air suddenly seemed much cooler than it had been earlier, and though she was sure she had seen the eclipse ending, her surroundings remained dark. Chilled to the bone, she got to her feet and ran to the banks of the lake, finding to her dismay that her pack and shoes were nowhere to be found.

"Professor!" she yelled into the gloom. Hugging her arms, she stepped off the mud and onto dry ground. The tiny pebbles crunching beneath her feet hurt, and her teeth were starting to chatter. She took one last look at the lake, felt gooseflesh ripple across her skin at the sight of its dark waters, and ran for it. "Professor!"

A pair of hands grabbed her and forced her down. She was dragged underneath a bush, where she screamed and struggled in panic, but the man was strong and the hand he kept over her mouth was sufficient to muffle her breath. Her frightened eyes met his sharp ones, and that was when she realized that half of his face was covered in a dark mask.

"Silence," he ordered, voice low and deadly, "if you wish to live."

Tears blinded her, but they didn't stop her from fighting. The professor and his team would be nearby… she just had to find them. She would be safe with them. She wasn't going to die like this. She was going to fight for her life, freedom and dignity.

"I told you to stop moving!" he hissed. He moved to restrain her further, but before he could, another man appeared from out of nowhere, forcing him to let her go.

Relieved, she scrambled to regain her footing just in time to see the masked man slash at the newcomer, who immediately crumpled to the ground, where he lay twitching.

Oddly enough, seeing the dark liquid seeping steadily onto the ground helped to calm her down. The masked man turned to face her then, anger on his face, and she held up her hands in surrender.

"I'm not part of the cast," she said at once, breathing heavily. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea people were filming here, there were no warning signs. I'll leave now and-"

She yelped when he grabbed her by the throat. "Who are you?" he asked, looking her up and down.

"What do you think you're doing?" Angry, she tried to push the man away with all the strength she could muster, but he barely moved an inch. "I demand to speak to whoever is in charge. Where's the rest of the team? I'm sure they're nearby, I've worked with actors before. Hello? Director-nim? Writer-nim? Hel-"

She lost all of her breath when he shoved her against a tree. "Are you a spy?" he asked, confusion written all over his face. He had never seen such a strangely dressed woman before. He knew the words she was saying but he had trouble understanding her. "Who do you work for? Whose side are you on?"

"I…" she wheezed, feeling dazed, "have no idea what you're talking about."

He closed what little distance separated them with a single step. "Do you work for His Majesty, the 3rd Emperor of Goryeo? Are you one of his concubines?"

Anger blazed in her eyes. "Do I look like a damn concubine?"

"Then who are you? What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Speak quickly!"

"I'm a tourist! I fell into the lake and almost drowned. Now will you please take your hands off me?!" she shoved him hard, away from her, not really expecting to be released, but she was surprised when he let go.

She was even more surprised when she saw why. Another man had appeared. This one was regally dressed in a suit of armor, his hair tied high up, above his head, and in his outstretched hand was a sword aimed right at her attacker's heart.

"Hello, brother," her attacker greeted, turning slowly around to face the other man. "What brings you all the way out here on this fine evening?"

"So, surrender and come in quietly. I can help you. I can make sure you are pardoned from what you did today."

The man named So laughed, but it was not a pleasant sound. "You mean rescuing our tenth brother and his wife from certain death, after they were unjustly accused of treason? I knew you were ambitious, Wook, but I never expected you would sell your brother out for a chance at power."

"Don't make this more difficult than it already is," Wook murmured through clenched teeth. "Come in quietly with the rest of our brothers, or I'll have to force you."

Hajin was surprised when So took a step forward and grasped his brother's sword. "Will you?"

The air was suddenly filled with shouts and the sound of stampeding feet. The darkness around them erupted as several more armed men arrived at the scene, each sword aimed at So.

The sound of taut strings being pulled alerted Hajin to the archers on the roofs. She stared at the scene before her in wonder, wondering who this So was and why they needed this many militia and archers to subdue him. Then she shook her head and remembered none of this was real. They were shooting a film, or possibly deep in rehearsal. She had to leave quickly before she got into more trouble.

She tried to slip quietly away. Her little movement started everything.

In a whirl of black and metal, the fighting commenced. Hajin found herself being shoved to the ground, one arrow grazing her forearm, a second one striking the ground inches away from her bare ankle. She eyed the stinging gash on her skin in momentary disbelief before she came to her senses and started running.

Though she couldn't understand how or why, her befuddled brain came to the realization: _none of it is an act. It's all real._

She ran for dear life. She ran ignoring the sharp pains on the soles of her feet. She ran past neat rows of hedges and trees. She ran no longer caring why her surroundings only grew darker the longer time passed, until she could barely see where she was going. She had to get back to the palace ruins. She had to hope they were still there.

 _Please. Please. Somebody help me. Somebody find me._

She reached the derelict complex and ran in, taking a moment to catch her breath. But peace would continue to elude her. Lights suddenly flickered from within the surrounding rooms and she saw to her surprise that the windows no longer had any holes in them; the doors were closed and neatly lined; the path held no traces of the long grass, flowers and vines she had seen only minutes before.

Heart in her throat, she tried to swallow her panic, but it was difficult. What had appeared to be a deserted historical site mere minutes ago now looked like a newly furbished building, complete with blazing braziers. The dark wood of the building gleamed in the candlelight, and when she saw a shadow move in one of the rooms, she instinctively backed away behind a wall.

She took a moment to assess her situation, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't for the life of her understand what was happening. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it away. She had to find her companions first… they would know what to do.

She turned and bumped into someone she had never expected to see again: not here, miles away from modern civilization… not when the last time they spoke, she had cursed him and her best friend and cried bitter tears as she watched them leave.

"Jiwon-ah," she breathed.

"What's this?" the man also had a sword strapped to his waist. He rested a hand on its hilt but made no move to unsheath it. "A gisaeng here? How the mighty Damiwon has fallen."

She was confused, but so relieved to see a familiar face that she instinctively took a step closer, not pausing to consider his words. "Jiwon-ah, what's happening? What are you doing here? Who are all those people?"

He let her come to him. His eyes took in the sight of her bare skin, milky white even in the dark evening. He had never seen such a hanbok in all his life, but he liked it. He liked the woman wearing it. She had long, dark hair, big, trusting eyes, and full, pink lips. His eyes landed on the graze on her forearm, and his hand reached out without invitation to touch it. It was a fresh wound. Blood trickled out of it at the barest of squeezes.

She gasped and tried to pull away, but his grip was firm. She looked into his dark eyes in confusion; her fear made her body tingle in alarm.

Though he looked like her ex-boyfriend, Hajin realized belatedly he wasn't him. Her ex had been cruel and foolish, but the sinister feeling she got from this man was something else entirely.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

She yelped when he pulled her roughly towards him. His free hand lifted her chin up, and her feeling of unease grew.

"Let go of me. Let go of me at once!"

"A mere court lady dares to command a prince?" his slow hiss entered her ears like poison. "I should cut off your tongue." He flushed his body with hers.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady as she struggled. She could feel his manhood pressing itself uncomfortably against her.

"Fortunately for you, the ninth prince of Goryeo is merciful. Earn my favor tonight, and I'll even make you my woman." Without warning, he claimed her lips in a savage kiss. She screamed and fought to break free, but he was strong. He was rough. Her lips immediately started to bruise. Many times she tried to speak, but he wouldn't let her. It seemed the harder she struggled, the more fervent his desire.

When he brought her down to the ground, she saw her chance. She groped around her and felt a chunk of stone come loose in her fingers. Snatching it up, she banged it hard against his head, forcing him to yell and roll away.

"You wench! You dare to attack a prince?" he spat in anger, blood dripping from the open wound. "There is no escape for you now. Today, you die."

She didn't need to be told twice. She threw the jagged stone at him and ran again. If this man was a prince, then that meant the palace was unsafe for her. There was an army fighting by the lake, so that was off-limits too.

The sound of his footsteps closing in spurred her on.

She had no other options. She prayed to the heavens for the forest to be kinder. She took one final breath and broke through the first line of trees, plunging into the deep darkness.


	2. Your Life As My Own

_"Not bad!" the prince remarked. She scanned the clearing and saw to her surprise that this youngster had beaten everyone using nothing but the baton and hand-to-hand combat. She couldn't help but be impressed. She watched as he looked down at the man behind him, who looked up at him in fear, and with one final strike to the ear, the last man standing fell to the ground._

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

Hajin had lost track of the number of times she tripped. She couldn't count the number of scratches she has. At that moment, she hardly cared. She could still hear the clinking of his heavy armor, the dull thud of his sword banging against his side as he ran to catch up to her. Being lighter, she had the advantage of speed, but she knew not where she was headed and could only hope he didn't either.

She daren't slow down. She had no idea how long she could keep this up once her adrenalin had run out, so she desperately tried to think of a way to get rid of him so she could find a place decent enough to hide in.

As though answering her prayers, her eyes, which had by now grown accustomed to the dark, suddenly spotted a thick root jutting out of the ground a few feet to her right. She veered sharply in its direction, successfully leaped over it, and kept running, her heart skipping a hopeful beat when she heard him trip. She had counted on the fact that, apart from decreasing his flexibility and mobility, his heavy armor was sure to have made him tired after sprinting after her for so long.

"You can't hide from me! I grew up hunting in this forest," he shouted after her, his voice growing fainter with every step she took away from him. "Even if you beg, you'll be dead before sunrise!"

Scared beyond her wits, Hajin kept changing course. She continued on for a couple more meters before stopping abruptly. Beyond the thick canopy of leaves and branches in front of her, she could clearly hear the metallic sound of clashing swords.

She didn't know how many men there were, and she had no interest in finding out. She looked up, hoping to see the sky so that she could try to navigate her way, but the overhead leaves blocked her vision.

"It's fine! Keep running in one direction. You're bound to come out of the forest sooner or later," she silently told herself. Fighting back nerves and tears, she chose a random path and crashed into someone, the both of them tumbling to the ground.

Screaming, Hajin attacked the man using everything she had. Her left hand closed around the shaft of something hard lying on the ground. She picked it up and put all her weight into the swing. The baton collided against her adversary's head with a sickening thud, and she watched, horrified, as he fell and stopped moving.

And that's when she realized there were more of them.

She had entered a small clearing with half a dozen similarly dressed men, plus one oddball who stood out in the middle. They were all gaping at her. She saw that the man in the middle was dressed all in black, much like that other man from earlier named So, which made her wary. But along with this observation came the depressing realization that she had just knocked out one of the men who formed the majority of the group they were in… which meant she had no choice but to count the man in black as her only ally.

He came to the same realization and in one swift movement, jumped to her side and readied his stance. He was sweating hard and Hajin could see blood on his hands and face.

"Give me the baton and stay behind me," he ordered.

In no position to argue, she thrust it at him and stood back to catch her breath, wondering what on earth was happening. Who were these people fighting against each other and why were they dressed so strangely?

Temporarily safe, she tried to take inventory of everything she had… which wasn't much. Practically everything she had brought for the trip was in her pack… her cellphone, her flashlight, her clothes, her money, her shampoo…

She felt the pockets of her dress and found the lighter she had used earlier to light the professor's cigar, plus the Swiss Army Knife her father had given her years before, which she always kept at hand partly because it was useful, but mostly because it was the last thing he gave her before he and her mother…

She wiped her tears and focused on her present reality. There were more important matters to worry about right now, because apart from the lighter and the swiss knife, she had nothing else. She didn't even have shoes, a fact reinforced by the sharp, stinging pain repeatedly snaking its way up her legs. Her muscles had started to seize up from exhaustion, and the soles of her feet had been rubbed raw from her long sprint through the forest's foliage. She was so exhausted, she wanted to curl up into a ball and go to sleep right there on the forest floor.

"Step aside if you value your lives." Her ally's deep growl made her look up.

"We are under special orders to bring Your Highness in alive. Please drop the weapon and come in quietly."

 _Another prince?_ Hajin studied the man. He was tall, with messy hair tied in a ponytail, sharp eyes and, she realized with surprise, he was much younger than she'd thought. His lips were pursed in a very angry line, and the next time he spoke, his voice boomed around the silent forest. "Did my mother send you?"

When no one answered him, he knew he had guessed right. "I do not wish to return… I order you to stand aside." There was a clear warning in his voice that made even Hajin uneasy, but the men around them stayed in place. "I told you to move out of the way!"

With a mighty leap, the prince lunged himself at the nearest enemy. The man parried the blow, but the prince had expected it and shoved the man's arm aside in one fluid movement so he could land a kick at the man's chest.

"Subdue him! We take him back alive!" the leader yelled, launching his men into immediate action.

Hajin had originally feared for the young prince's life, but seeing how well he fought, she quickly began to fear for her own.

Now that her adrenalin had run out, she was feeling faint and weak from pain. A man rushed to grab her, probably to try and use her as a hostage, but the prince saw him and knocked him out with a strong punch below the jaw. Hajin heard the man's upper and lower teeth collide in a crunch and saw his eyes roll back into their sockets. She guessed he would be out for a while.

Not wanting to rely on the prince, she grabbed the fallen man's weapon - another baton - and watched out for more potential sneak attacks. She raised it, ready to strike, but no one else came at her. Instead, she saw one of the first men to fall slowly regain his senses and get up, ready to attack the prince from behind while the latter fought with the remaining three still standing.

 _Oh no, you don't!_

Hajin was too far away to block the blow in time, so she did the only thing she could think of: she threw the baton as hard as she could and hit him squarely on the shoulder. She felt proud to have been able to stop the attack, but her pride was quickly replaced by dread when the man, angry, turned to her instead.

"Not bad!" the prince remarked. She scanned the clearing and saw to her surprise that this youngster had beaten everyone using nothing but the baton and hand-to-hand combat. She couldn't help but be impressed. She watched as he looked down at the man behind him, who looked up at him in fear, and with one final strike to the ear, the last man standing fell to the ground.

"You… did you kill them?" she croaked after a moment's silence.

"No, they're alive, just knocked out," he replied offhandedly. He eyed the bloodied baton in his hand and tossed it aside, a look of disgust on his face. "But some of them might die if they aren't found in a few hours."

"You defeated… all of them. Half a dozen to one. How…?" she realized her mouth was hanging open and promptly shut it.

To her surprise, he laughed. "I may be the youngest, but I'm still a prince, after all."

She wanted to ask: _'A prince of_ what _? '_ but then she saw the alarmed look on his face and before she could do anything, she found herself in an headlock, being pinned against yet another man.

"Ah, Jung… I thought it might be you," a voice Hajin had no trouble recognizing said in her ear. Disgusted, she immediately clawed at his arm in an attempt to break free.

"Hyung-nim," Prince Jung said, looking wary. "I don't want to fight you."

"Since you are fighting the King, I'm afraid you have no choice," the ninth prince said, ignoring Hajin's struggles entirely. "Unless you surrender now and come quietly."

"I can't do that," Prince Jung bawled his hands into fists. "The King tried to have our tenth brother and his wife unjustly killed. Tell me I'm wrong, hyung-nim."

There was silence save for Hajin's grunts and ragged breathing as she vainly tried to free herself.

"You're not wrong," the ninth prince said at last, to both Jung and Hajin's surprise.

"Why?" Jung yelled, angry tears spilling onto his cheeks. "What did our tenth brother ever do wrong?"

"Nothing," the ninth said it so casually, Hajin felt even more disgusted, "he simply has the misfortune of being born into a powerful family. The throne needs to be stable, Jung-ah… all threats need to be eliminated."

"Eun hyung-nim has never wanted the throne!" Jung cried out in disbelief. "You just wanted a reason to get rid of his grandfather!"

Ninth Prince raised his voice, making Hajin wince and turn away. "Anyone who doesn't stand with the King is against him. Yes, Jung, I'm afraid that includes even our brothers. Baek Ah and So hyung-nim will have to be neutralized as well, now that they've openly rebelled… which just leaves you. So tell me… are you with the King… or against him?"

Hajin wondered what the young prince would say. At the moment, he was crying bitter tears and glaring at his brother, who sighed, "I'm tired and I have things to do… matters to take care of," he grinned and ran his tongue along Hajin's neck, making her shriek in indignation, "so what'll it be, baby brother? Shall we fight… or shall we go home?"

"How about you take a nap?" a different voice drawled tiredly from behind them. A whack and a thud later and the grip around Hajin's neck loosened. She turned and shoved the prince away from her body, only to come face-to-face with the masked man from before.

"Hyung-nim!" Prince Jung called, relief in his voice, but his brother wasn't looking at him. Raising his sword, he aimed it at Hajin's throat.

"Jung, are you hurt?" he asked, frowning at Hajin. He still couldn't place this woman. Who was she and what had she been doing at Lake Dongji?

"I can manage," Jung said with a slight wince. "She's alright, hyung-nim, she helped me-"

"She's a spy."

"I am not!" Hajin yelled at once. She swatted the sword away, which surprised both princes. A small sting at the base of her throat told her the sword's tip had managed to scratch her, but she ignored the pain and the fear that she could have lethally slit her throat if the sword had been just a little bit closer. Her anger always made her more brave.

"Then who are you? How did you come to be on palace grounds?" So demanded, recovering from his surprise.

"I told you, I'm a tourist! Do you not get tourists in this part of the country?" she snapped.

When both Jung and So stared at her, she sighed. "You know, people who come from another place, going elsewhere to visit and have a look around and- oh, come on! How can you not know what a tourist is?"

"What language is it that you speak?" So demanded, getting more and more confused by the minute.

She glared at him. "Seeing as how you are able to understand me, I'd say we're speaking the same language, albeit you sound more like an old man!"

So looked at Jung. "We can't risk her being a spy."

"No!" Jung yelled, placing himself between them. "I'll vouch for her."

So bared his teeth in anger, "Don't be a fool! If she makes even a single mistake, you'll have to pay for it!"

"I trust her. She saved my life."

So scoffed. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"She did. She took down one of the men by herself and gave me his baton. I couldn't have fought them off without a weapon to block their blows. Also…" he looked at Hajin over his shoulder, "she clearly hates our ninth brother. If she's not with them, then she's with us, isn't she?"

"I don't know, they seemed pretty cozy from my point of view." Though it was said lightly, Hajin could detect the underlying malice in So's tone.

"How dare you! He tried to rape me twice today!" she shrieked, coming out from behind Jung so she could face So head on. "And you! You tried to kill me! I demand an apology at once!"

So narrowed his eyes and walked slowly towards her. "Who are you to demand such a thing from a prince?"

"Who am I?" she scoffed in disbelief, "I'm G-" she stopped, wondering if she should tell them her name. She decided not to. "It doesn't matter who I am. Why? Will you apologize to me if I'm a princess, and ignore me if I'm not? Tsk! This is a very strange, backward neighborhood you guys live in."

"So… you want an apology?" So was getting impatient. They had a long ways to go before they could consider themselves safe. They had no time to be arguing with a woman. He held his sword more tightly in his hand and leaned over her. "Fine, I'll apologize. But then I'd have to kill you. That's fine, though, right?"

Hajin flushed, wondering if he was being serious.

"Then… I'm sor-"

"Hyung-nim, we need to go," Jung interrupted. Taking hold of Hajin's hand, he forced her back behind him. "Sister-in-law got injured on our way out, that's why I let them go ahead and remained here. We need to quickly find a healer to tend to her wounds."

So didn't move a single muscle.

Feeling the tension still in the air, Jung tried again. "I promise you, hyung-nim… if this woman does anything remotely suspicious… I'll take care of her myself."

At these words, Hajin looked at Jung in alarm, but he kept his eyes fixed solely on his brother. They stared each other down for the longest time before the elder finally relented. He sheathed his sword with a sigh. "Fine, do what you want." He gave Hajin a final withering look full of distrust and went on his way.

When he judged his brother was far enough ahead, Jung turned to Hajin. She backed instinctively away from him, but he reassured her with a warm smile. "Don't worry. You saved my life. I won't ever forget that." He patted her shoulder and nodded. "From now on, I will treat your life as if it were my own. Don't mind my brother… we've been through a lot."

"What is this place?" she asked weakly. Though she knew she was far from being completely safe, the shock that had blocked out all her emotion earlier was slowly starting to fade now that immediate danger had passed. "Who are you people? Why are you fighting?"

Jung frowned, wondering if she was being serious. Her strange clothes and strange speech had confused him too, but he had overlooked those qualities in favor of the gratitude he felt at her timely arrival. If it weren't for her, he would have been dragged back into the palace and locked up.

And he had no wish to remain a hostage, not when his family members were at each others' throats.

He decided to answer her questions first. "You are in Kaesong, the capital city of the Kingdom of Goryeo. I am the fourteenth son of the founder of this land, Wang Jung. That brother lying there is my ninth brother, Wang Won… and the one who just left is our fourth brother, Wang So."

Hajin's brain failed to grasp anything beyond the word _Goryeo_.

 _It couldn't be. This had to be a dream._

Trying to keep calm, she forced the words out of her mouth. "What… what year is this?"

He decided that perhaps she had lost her memory. It was the only explanation he could think of. Eyeing her grimly, he replied, "It is the eleventh month of Year of the Wooden Snake, twenty-seven years after the founding of this land."

Twenty-seven years since the start of Goryeo. Hajin felt her insides shrivel up as she did the math. Taejo Wang Geon became king in 918… twenty-seven years later would mean-

"945."

* * *

 _Thank you for the reviews, all you lovely people :D_


	3. Hae Soo?

In this chapter:

 _"Soo-yah?"_

 _Everyone turned to the sound of this new voice. Hajin glanced around her, wondering who the woman was talking to, but apart from the two princes and her handler, there was no one else in the room with them._

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

The sound of whispering voices woke her.

Blearily, Hajin tried to sit up, only to have pain shoot out from every joint and muscle in her stiff, exhausted body. Hissing, she fell back down and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark before taking a good look around her. She was lying on a dark coat on the floor of what appeared to be a small wooden room. Piles of dried grass lined the thin walls, which had gaps large enough to allow bits of flickering candlelight in.

She took a few deep breaths before attempting to sit again. This time, she succeeded, wincing and checking herself for any serious injuries.

She was surprised to find that the deep gashes on her arms and legs from her tumble and sprint through the forest had been bandaged, as well as the soles of her feet. Gingerly, she felt them and found them wet with plasma, making her wonder how long she had been asleep.

Before she could fully remember what had happened, before the reality of her situation could sink in, the door opened suddenly. Her hands rose in reflex to shield her sensitive eyes from the light.

"She's awake," a voice she didn't recognize informed the people in the room beyond. The sound of footsteps and seconds later, she was hoisted off the ground, dragged outside, and forcefully plopped onto a chair.

Wincing, she opened her eyes and found herself in a room full of men clad in dark robes, and all of them were staring at her. Not knowing who they were nor what they wanted, Hajin's senses screamed in alarm, but her throat was too parched for her to utter anything beyond a small whimper.

A man stepped forward and took the seat across from her. Like everyone else, the only visible part of his face were his eyes. "Who are you?"

 _Good question_ , Hajin thought in dread. _Would you even believe me if I told you?_

To buy herself some time, she looked up at the rest of the men, thinking she might recognize the friendly Prince Jung from earlier, even if all she could see were his eyes. To her dismay, she found she couldn't even really remember Prince Jung's face as it had been dark when they'd met. She knew Prince So would have a mask though, and couldn't decide whether she was happy or disappointed that he wasn't in the room with them.

"I asked you a question, woman!" the man barked, making her jump.

"What use is it if I tell you?" she snapped back, her fear making her irritable. "You'll kill me either way, won't you?"

He exhaled heavily through his nose and leaned over the table towards her. Refusing to back down, Hajin kept her back straight and her eyes unblinking. "Fortunately for you, our 14th Prince has decided to take you under his wing. Unfortunately for you, he isn't here right now and his brother believes you may be a spy."

Hajin scowled. She decided having no Prince So was better than having Prince So. But then she remembered him telling his brother that should she make a single mistake, the younger prince would have to pay the price… and she supposed she couldn't really fault the man for wanting to protect his brother.

With a tired sigh, she said, "I'm not a spy."

"Then who exactly are you?"

"I don't know, alright?" she snapped. "I almost drowned, survived, and found myself caught in between two armies. I have no recollection of my past, my name - anything!"

One of the men standing around spoke up, "Sounds like a spy, General."

Hajin laughed without humor. "I knew you wouldn't believe me. I shouldn't have bothered answering."

"Your story is a little too convenient," the general said, straightening up.

"Unfortunately for me, it's the only story I have," she crossed her arms over her chest. "Or would you rather I lied?"

The general breathed in, getting ready to reply, but then he lifted a hand, wordlessly ordering everyone to keep quiet. A moment later, Hajin realized why… it was faint but now that she was listening, she could clearly hear the sound of approaching horses.

The general nodded to a man by the door, who slipped quietly outside just as the candles were blown out, plunging them all into darkness, but not before Hajin saw them ready their weapons.

She dare not even breathe. These people were not the friendliest of sorts, but at least they hadn't killed her yet and she had the young prince to rely on should worse come to worst.

She couldn't say the same for the other army: Prince Won's attitude towards her hadn't been very promising.

The atmosphere was so tense with energy that the hairs on her forearms stood on end, and just when she thought her bladder couldn't bear it any longer, the man from earlier came back in and said in a clear, loud voice, "The princes have returned, General."

Immediately, all the men filed out of the room. Hajin could have cried from relief, but another pair of hands grabbed her and forced her up, keeping her inside.

"I can stand perfectly well on my own!" she snapped, trying to free herself, but she might as well have been struggling against her chair.

"What news?" the general asked without preamble as the dozen horsemen dismounted.

"The royal soldiers have reached the nearby villages to the north, west and east. All the healers have been summoned to the palace, and the soldiers are blocking all exits, so even the shamans and herbalists are off-limits," a man whose voice she did not recognize replied with a regretful sigh. "I'm sorry, General Park. I have friends who could have helped us, but it seems the King has been made aware of your daughter's injury and is using this chance to lure us in or trap us."

"How is sister-in-law?" Hajin recognized this second voice as belonging to Prince Jung and felt her heart leap in relief.

"She is still unconscious. Lady Hae says she has lost a lot of blood." The general's voice was full of worry. "We may need to leave this place, if the soldiers are as close as you say."

"Do not worry, the river water is rising. They can try, but they will not be able to cross." Hajin snorted, recognizing Prince So. "The air is humid and the wind still. There will be a storm later tonight. The river will be impassable for days, weeks if we're lucky."

"Still, without a healer to treat her wounds, we're nothing but sitting ducks," Prince Jung sighed at his helplessness.

"I can help," Hajin told her handler, but he had upgraded from chair to statue. She wondered if he was even still breathing.

A candle flickered to life from somewhere nearby, and that's when Hajin realized there was another room in the tiny cot. From within this room emerged a small man with a badly bandaged arm. Hajin could tell he was a prince by the finery of his robes and jewelry.

He bypassed Hajin and exited the cot, "Brothers, Father, I ask permission to leave tonight. We can't stay here. She'll die if we do nothing."

"Eun-ah, all we have are horses. You can't transport her on one. And if it rains, you'll be soaked and bogged down by the mud. Even if she doesn't die from her injuries, you both could very well end up dying from the cold," Prince So reasoned. "Besides, you are also injured. If anyone should leave, it shouldn't be you."

"I'm her husband. I have a responsibility to look after her!" Prince Eun said in a wavering voice. "She took that blow for me. How can I live with myself if I just watch her die now?"

"The 10th Prince is right," General Park said heavily, "but Prince So is right as well. 10th Prince, you are injured and in need of recuperation. Stay here with the rest while I take my daughter to find a healer."

Throwing caution to the winds, Hajin yelled, "I can help!"

Her statue of a handler came back to life long enough to cover her mouth with one large hand. Angry, she struggled in resistance, the grime on his fingers the only reason she hadn't bitten him yet.

"Who was that?" asked the first voice Hajin had not recognized earlier.

"Lady!" Prince Jung ran into the room. He spotted her being manhandled and ordered for the man to release her immediately.

Hesitantly, the man lowered his hands. Hajin swatted him aside and walked gingerly over to Prince Jung, wincing at the pain from her tender feet.

"Can you really help?" Prince Jung asked with hopeful eyes.

She nodded. She was in nursing school for 3 years before her uncle died and she had been forced to quit. "I know how to clean and suture wounds, and I'm very familiar with herbs. I can help."

"But this is great! Follow me, she's-"

"Halt," Prince So ordered, entering. He eyed Hajin's resentful pout with amusement. "We still don't know who she is. She might kill Soon Deok."

Hajin sighed impatiently. "With all of you watching? Do I look that crazy to you?"

"Soo-yah?"

Everyone turned to the sound of this new voice. Hajin glanced around her, wondering who the woman was talking to, but apart from the two princes and her handler, there was no one else in the room with them.

"I thought it was your voice… but how could it be? No one has seen you in years… where have you been all this time? And what are you wearing?"

When the woman reached out to touch Hajin, she instantly recoiled.

"Soo-yah, it's me… your cousin, Myunghee," Myunghee said, eyeing her with concern. "Do you not recognize me?"

Though the woman's hanbok was muddied and her hair was in disarray, Hajin had no doubt in her mind that she was of noble birth. Slowly, she shook her head, "I'm sorry…"

"Sister-in-law… do you know this woman?" Prince Jung asked in surprise.

"You should know her too, you've seen her with me before! Though I understand why Prince So wouldn't recognize her…" Myunghee grasped Hajin's hand and held it tightly. "4th Prince, she is the orphaned daughter of my aunt and uncle. My husband, 8th Prince Wook, had her brought to me years ago to help with my sickness. She suddenly went missing before you returned to Kaesong." Myunghee looked at Hajin then, and Hajin was surprised to see tears in the other woman's eyes. "Do you really not remember? Did you lose your way after losing your memory?"

"Her hair is different, but she does look like her," the unknown prince remarked, coming into the room.

Myunghee looked at him. "Baek Ah-yah, look closely… she's Soo, I'm sure of it! How can I not recognize my own flesh and blood? Soo-yah, look at me and think harder… do you really not know who I am?"

"I… I really don't…" Hajin stammered, temporarily lost for words.

But her mind was thinking fast.

She couldn't admit to being Go Hajin from the future… but if this woman was convinced that she was her long lost cousin, then they might actually let her live.

Could she do it? Pretend to be this ' _Soo'_ and just try to escape as soon as she could?

 _But how do I even get back to my time?_ she wondered helplessly.

"It's okay now. You're safe with us," Myunghee said firmly. "4th Prince, I beg you to allow her to stay. She is young and has no clue who she is, but she may yet remember. Please!"

"I'm with our sister-in-law in this," Jung said, coming over to stand beside them. "She saved my life. I owe her a huge debt."

Though So looked irritated, he didn't say anything. Hajin figured he must be the eldest of the bunch and therefore the one in charge. She shuddered at the thought of having to kiss up to him in the future. She's not sure he'll even tolerate such tactics.

Baek Ah cleared his throat delicately and said, "Hyung-nim… I once tried to teach Hae Soo the gayageum. She learned very fast."

So sighed, "Not you, too. What are you getting at?"

Baek Ah nodded to Hajin and said, "She is good with her hands. I believe she may be telling the truth about helping our sister-in-law. At this rate, we can't afford to be picky. Whether Soon Deok leaves or stays… I'm afraid her chances of surviving are very little."

Hearing this, Eun let out a little whimper and rushed to Jung's side, bowing low to his 4th brother. "Hyung-nim! Please consider our requests!"

So shut his eyes with a grimace. He had his doubts about the girl, but Baek Ah was right: Soon Deok's condition was bad, her chances of surviving dwindling with every minute spent with her wounds left untreated. He shared a glance with the general and an understanding passed between them. "Can we really trust you?" he asked, looking back at Hajin.

She had to put everything on the line to convince this man that she meant them no harm. As sincerely as she could, she nodded, "If your sister-in-law dies… I won't put up a fight. I'll let you kill me."

"Soo-yah!" Myunghee protested. Everyone else wore similar looks of surprise.

Everyone, that is, except Prince So.

"Then follow me."

One look at the pale, young woman told Hajin she was dying. She was unresponsive, and despite the numerous attempts to wipe it off, blood oozed from the gaping slash on her back.

"How long has she been like this?" Hajin asked, clearing the wound for a better look. Gritting her teeth, she tore at the woman's clothing and asked for a candle to be brought over for more light.

"She got injured before sundown," Jung replied in worried tones.

"Can you help her?" Myunghee asked, kneeling on the opposite side.

Hajin wished she had looked at her patient before tying their fates together, but there was no helping it now. With a determined nod, Hajin looked up at her companions and issued her commands. She wondered if they would take offense at a woman giving orders, but if they did, they didn't show it. One by one, they filed out of the room to fetch her warm water, the cleanest strips of cloth they could find, and a disinfectant.

"Dis-disin-" Eun scratched his head, confused. "Come again?"

"Alcohol or vinegar," she said instead.

The young prince left the room muttering, "Alcohol or vinegar?" under his breath. Hajin wondered if he would be able to get it.

"What can I do?" Myunghee asked, drawing her sleeves back and fixing her hair.

"Do you happen to have a needle?"

It took a while for the men to get everything she asked for. The needle was especially difficult to procure, but thanks to Myunghee's ingenuity, they managed to craft one using one of her hairpins, and used strands of her long hair to sew the ripped flesh back together.

They worked for hours. Sometime in between, the storm hit just as Prince So had predicted. On the upside, it kept the royal army away from the river. On the downside, the wind was so strong, it not only threatened to topple the cot down, but the torrential rains would have swept away whatever herbs could have been useful.

But despite all the setbacks, Hajin managed to finish her work. Cleaned and neatly stitched, the wound looked much better than it had before. Using candle wax to set the bandage, Hajin left the room in search of the woman's husband.

"When will she wake?" Prince Eun, who alone remained awake among his brothers, asked after she had finished reporting to him his wife's condition.

Hajin was so tired, she had to put in conscious effort not to drop down on the floor and fall asleep. "I cannot say. We'll have to look after her until she does. The good news is the wound is clean and she has no fever. If it remains uninfected, the possibility of a recovery increases. Also, I've managed to stop the bleeding but she's lost a lot of blood. In the morning, I'd like for us to search the forest for any beehives. Honey will be a great help to keep her wound free of bacteria, and added with water, it'll be a better drink to keep her hydrated."

Some of the terms Hajin used confused Prince Eun, but seeing how exhausted the woman was, he decided not to press her for more answers. Instead he nodded and thanked her sincerely for her help.

"Soo-yah… drink some water, you must be thirsty." Myunghee had also stayed up to help her. Hajin had been called _Soo_ so many times in the last few hours that she responded instantly to Myunghee's call.

Awkwardly, she took the cup and drank everything in one go, the cool water just enough to quench her thirst. "I'll finish cleaning up, you go to sleep. You must be tired," Myunghee offered, taking the cup from her and motioning for her to get back in the room with their patient. "I set up a space for you beside me. Sleep and get back your strength. You'll need it if you're to walk around the forest tomorrow."

Prince Eun nodded. "You both sleep. I'll watch over her for now."

Hajin didn't need to be told twice. Starving, she staggered to the space Myunghee had indicated and lay down, instantly falling into a deep sleep.

From his position by the door, the Fourth Prince opened his eyes and watched her. So far she had proven herself to be a capable healer, commanding them all with such authority and decisiveness for a small woman with no sure status…

She was a strange woman, indeed, but he couldn't help but sense that something was off about her. It wasn't just the possibility that she could be Myunghee's lost cousin, but the way she had appeared in that lake this afternoon… he would have seen and heard her enter the water, but all he saw was her coming out.

Where had she come from?

And why couldn't he shake the feeling that she knew a lot more than she was letting on?

* * *

 _Sorry for the late update! I've been busy with work so I can only write in the evenings or during the weekends.  
_ _Thank you for the kind reviews and for the love so far :D I'm glad this fic has piqued so many interests hehehe_


	4. The Fourth Prince

In this chapter:

 _"Are you married?" he asked bluntly._

 _Shocked, Hajin instantly yelled out, "No!"_

* * *

The storm lasted about three days, and they were all restless, hungry and drenched by the end of it. People were especially irritable from lack of "real" food, having eaten nothing but stale bread, cheese and whatever could be foraged from the forest for days. But Hajin couldn't complain. If she hadn't run into these people, who knew where she'd be right now?

Myunghee was even kind enough to lend her some shoes and "proper" clothes on the morning of her second day. She was grateful she had Myunghee, whom she now referred to as _Unnie_ , to turn to because she had no idea how to dress herself in hanboks. Her uncle who raised her after her parents died hadn't been the most traditional of sorts.

It was when the storm passed that Soon Deok finally woke up, lifting the company's spirits considerably. A few routinary checks later and Hajin was happy to inform them all that the patient would make a full recovery. Everyone was thrilled.

Or almost everyone.

Considering the 10th Prince's diligence in taking care of his wife while she was unconscious, Hajin was surprised when his first words to her were, "Yah! Are you trying to embarrass your husband? Who told you you could get in between me and that sword? Did you think I wouldn't be able to take care of myself? You're always looking down on me and causing me problems!"

Before the poor woman could so much as wince, he had stormed out of the cot.

Hajin found him a little ways away into the forest some minutes later, drawing random figures on the sodden ground with a fallen twig.

Her feet had healed somewhat during her stay, making walking through the uneven terrain much easier. She found a relatively dry space of foliage to sit on under a tree and watched him.

"You draw very well," she remarked. The little animals were drawn realistically in various stages of movement, giving them a lifelike quality. She figured this prince would do well as a graphic artist in the modern world.

Prince Eun shrugged his shoulders but didn't say anything.

Hajin continued to watch him, and when she saw him drawing a pair of ducks in flight, inspiration struck. "Did you know that some species of birds mate for life?"

At Prince Eun's scandalous look, Hajin snorted. "Oh, come on. We're both adults here. Such topics should not be off-limits."

Flustered, he cleared his throat. "A man should not speak of such things with a woman."

"I'm not going to go into detail about it," she rolled her eyes. For all his perceived innocence, this little prince was quick to jump into naughty conclusions.

"I am a married man. I know some of my brothers have multiple wives, but I am not the type to just-"

"What I wanted to say was…" Hajin cut him off in a loud voice, "even if a goose were to fall injured and die, its mate wouldn't leave its side. In a way, you and your wife are similar."

"Are you calling me a goose?"

"I'm calling you loyal." She eyed him steadily. "You hardly left your wife's side in three days while she was unconscious. You were quick to act like you didn't care the moment she woke up."

"Of course I would take care of her, she saved my life. What of it?" the prince snapped. "I know how to repay my debts."

Amused, Hajin lifted her eyebrows. "But you haven't repaid the debt. You gave her drink, made sure she was warm, helped me change her bandages, cleaned her up… but anybody can do those things. Not everybody can save a life. Even rare are people who risk their lives for another."

His frown was deep, his lips pouty. "Then what else am I supposed to do? All I know are toys and games!" At these words, he flung the stick aside and buried his face in his knees.

"For starters," Hajin said matter-of-factly, "get back in there and make sure she's comfortable. She will live, but she is still in a great deal of pain. Until I can find a way to help her, you're exactly what she needs."

"Me?" he asked, surprised. "What do you mean? What can I do?"

"Your wife loves you very much," she replied with unblinking certainty, "just being in the same room with her while she's awake will make her happy. They do say laughter is medicine in its own right."

Minutes later, she watched, satisfied and pleased with herself, as the prince headed back into the cot. Hajin realized that the young prince was just shy and possibly still unaware of his own feelings, but his wife, Soon Deok, seemed like a nice girl. After facing death for his sake, she didn't deserve to hear such harsh words upon waking.

"Interesting conversation."

The sound of the 4th Prince's voice made her jump. It took a bit of searching, but she finally spotted him perched on the branch of a nearby tree, and glared at him while he jumped down.

"Are you married?" he asked bluntly.

Shocked, Hajin instantly yelled out, "No!"

Clearly amused, he crouched down in front of her and said, "I've never heard an unmarried woman talk about intimacy between partners so casually before."

She sighed heavily. "I was talking about _ducks_ and _loyalty_. Really, I had no idea the great Princes of Goryeo were such perverts."

He scoffed but did not seem offended. "And after I came all the way out here to thank you."

Hajin had not been expecting that. She frowned and waited for him to continue.

"I realize no one has thanked you properly yet for saving Soon Deok's life. So, thank you, Hae Soo-shi. You have managed to keep your life… for now."

Hajin rolled her eyes. She had an advantage this time and decided to press it. "I've told you, I'm not a spy. I just saved your sister-in-law's life! How do you still not believe me?"

"You only saved Soon Deok because it suited you, not because you wanted to."

Hajin had no idea how old or young Prince So was but she took offense at this, enough to drop formalities and snap, "Yah! How heartless of a person do you think I am?"

Instead of replying, he narrowed his eyes and studied her even more carefully, finding her reactions interesting. "You don't even know who _I_ am." She wanted to tell him she knew exactly who he was, but before she could, he said, "The people of Songak have been taught to run for their lives whenever they see me. But not only do you stand your ground, you even talk back. You don't fear me because you don't know any better… because you're not from here," he leaned in closer to her, prompting her to pull back in surprise, "which begs the question… where _are_ you from?"

"I…" she swallowed hard and edged away from him. His sharp eyes were intelligent and piercing, seeming to look right into her very soul. "I've already told you… I don't remember."

She couldn't glean any of his thoughts. She couldn't tell if he believed her. Something told her he didn't.

Dreading the thought of having to answer more questions, she was surprised when he straightened up instead, apparently satisfied with the answers he'd managed to get today. "I still have my doubts about you, but you've proven yourself capable of carrying your own weight. I don't know who you are but I don't think you're a spy for the king, and as things stand, we need someone to look after Soon Deok and treat the men's wounds like you've been doing. Travel with us and you will be protected. That's my best offer."

She couldn't believe it. One minute, she thought he was going to start chewing her out and reading her mind, and the next, he was inviting her to stay with them.

"So… I get to stay on condition that I treat every single one of you whenever you're injured? And if I'm unable to save all of you during a major battle, will I lose my life then?"

He shrugged. "That depends."

She hissed at him. "You'd better not get everyone into trouble then. There's only one of me and two dozen of you! I can't possibly treat you all at once by myself, I'd go mad!"

To her consternation, he leaned over again and rapped her forehead with his knuckles, making her gasp in pain.

"You need to work for your living," he said, almost mockingly.

He was strong. Just a little tap was enough to jangle her brains. Rubbing the sore spot, she glared at him. "Is it a habit of yours to rile people up while negotiating?" she asked, not bothering to hide the resentment from her voice.

He smirked, showing off rows of perfectly straight, white teeth. Dental care in Goryeo must be world-class. "Only to people who interest me."

Had that been a compliment? Or a backhanded insult? She tried to make sense of him as she watched him leave.

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

"Soo-yah, you must never… _never_ insult the 4th Prince," Myunghee admonished that night as they got ready to sleep. "He has a nasty temper."

"Who is he anyway? And why does he wear that stupid mask?" Hajin grumbled.

To her surprise, Soon Deok was the one to shush her up. "Lady, sister Hae is right. You need to be more mindful of your words." From her prone position on the makeshift bed, she winced in discomfort and pain.

Hajin made to help the woman, but Myunghee pulled her back, "Sit still and let me finish. Deok-ah, stop moving so much, you'll pull your stitches. I'll help you the moment I'm done fixing Soo-yah's hair." Speaking of Hajin's hair, Myunghee sighed, "What happened to your long, straight hair, anyway? Why is everything so unevenly cut?"

"Oh, I… well, I think I remember getting some tar on it and it wouldn't come off… so I had to cut it with a knife myself," Hajin lied through her teeth.

Thankfully, Myunghee wasn't the suspicious type. She just brushed Hajin's hair again and continued where she'd left off, "Anyway, as I was saying… the 4th Prince is a powerful man with two powerful families. He's not someone anyone should take lightly."

"But that mask… why does he wear it? Is he hiding something? It looks ridiculous!"

The effect of her words was immediate: Soon Deok grew even paler and Myunghee clamped a hasty hand over her mouth.

"And whatever you do," she murmured, eyeing Hajin seriously, "do _not_ mention his mask when he's within hearing distance."

Hajin frowned in confusion and turned to Soon Deok, who explained in a whisper, "Rumor has it that his mother gave him a terrible scar when he was a young boy."

"His mother?" Hajin whispered back after Myunghee released her.

Soon Deok nodded. "No one knows the truth, and no one's ever really seen his face, so it's all hearsay. My father taught the 4th Prince martial arts, but even he won't talk about it."

"Speaking of martial arts," Myunghee cut in after tying Hajin's hair, "the 4th Prince has also been hailed by many as being the best warrior in all of Songak. A little girl like you can't take him on, so I suggest you don't try."

At these words, Hajin thought back to the moment she arrived in Goryeo and remembered how surprised she had been that so many men had been sent to dispose of a single man. He had come out of that encounter unscathed. "I wasn't trying to take him on," Hajin protested, "I was just defending myself."

"People who cross the 4th Prince usually end up dead," Myunghee said flatly, silencing whatever other protest Hajin was about to make.

"D-dead?" she stammered.

"Dead," Soon Deok grumbled, closing her eyes and measuring her breaths. "He even almost killed his older brother about two years ago."

"Almost?"

Soon Deok nodded. "The same brother returned months ago and unseated King Hyejong. He currently occupies the throne as our Third King. But before that, we all thought he'd died because the men all reported he'd been stabbed and fallen over a cliff. Before he finally went down, he killed dozens of soldiers. If it weren't for Prince So stepping in, who knows how many more would have died that day?"

"So… Prince So is good?" Hajin pointed out, "He got rid of a traitor… for a time."

"He's loyal to King Hyejong, so it would depend on to whom you are loyal."

"Alright, that's enough," Myunghee shushed them, kneeling beside Soon Deok to give her a drink of water. "Our topic of conversation is hardly appropriate. And it's treasonous. Soo-yah, don't go around calling the King a traitor either, unless you have a death wish."

Hajin pouted but decided not to argue. She had become very immersed in the conversation. The Professor would have been so thrilled to hear all of this.

At the thought of her time, Hajin grew once more nostalgic. She will have to think of a way to get back… there had to be a way. She refused to believe she was stuck here forever.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny jar the 10th Prince had provided her earlier in the day. "I found some herbs in the forest and made you this poultice. It'll help with the pain."

Soon Deok looked up with bright eyes. "Why couldn't you have given it to me earlier?"

"You were asleep then and this is made primarily of mugwort… so, _buin_ , I need to know right now… are you pregnant?" Hajin asked seriously. Even in the candlelight, Soon Deok's face looked red. "If you are, I can't give this to you. It'll make the muscles of your uterus weak and you'll suffer a miscarriage."

Soon Deok tried to stutter a reply, but was unable. In the end, it was Myunghee who cleared her throat and delicately informed Hajin that the 10th Prince and his wife had never consummated their marriage.

"Oh!" Hajin exclaimed, surprised. That explained Prince Eun's embarrassment. "That's great, then! This will numb the pain. I found plenty of it in the forest. I'll collect more tomorrow. It should be enough to last you until you're fully healed. Are you very newly married?"

At this, Soon Deok blushed even deeper and buried her face in her pillow. "No."

Myunghee cleared her throat, silently scolding Hajin for her visibly dumbfounded expression. "The affairs of married couples are not for outsiders to scrutinize, Soo-yah. You have your answer, now help the poor girl so we can all get some sleep."

Hajin snapped out of her trance. "Of- of course."

Applying the poultice onto Soon Deok's back, Hajin couldn't help feeling sorry for her. But of course, it would have been a marriage of convenience rather than of love.

She watched Myunghee silently and wondered about her own marriage. The 8th Prince had been the one to intercept Prince So and herself back at Cheondeokjeon Palace. That meant he and Myunghee were fighting on opposite sides.

What could have happened between them?

* * *

 _Anybody else psyched up for Lee Joon Gi's Criminal Minds? Coz I am! Next Wednesday can't come any faster!  
As always, thank you for reading and commenting ^^ not much happening yet, just setting the ground work for the relationship between characters. See you next week! Or sooner if I've free time to write :D_


	5. Bark and Bite

In this chapter:

 _She could tell he was amused. "Not at all. You may have heard of the infamous wolf-dog of Songak…" The name rang a bell, and she remembered hearing it for the first time just the night before. Prince Baek Ah nodded, "For the most part, the rumors about him are true. In this case, my lady…" he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "my brother's bite is literally… definitely… worse than his bark."_

* * *

"The men report that the river current is slowing down. We do not know when the king's men will come after us. For everyone's safety, we'll have to leave," General Park informed everyone after sundown on their fourth day.

"But… buin is injured. She cannot travel on horseback, the stitches will come undone!" Hajin protested.

"We were never meant to linger here," Prince So said in response to her concern. "We were fortunate with the rain, but it can no longer help us. If we stay, we risk another battle with the royal guards. You know the men's injuries best, Lady Soo. Will they survive another encounter?"

The true answer was no, but she was determined to come up with a compromise. She couldn't subject Soon Deok to that amount of pain if she could help it. "General," she addressed, relying now on the man's fatherly instinct, "how long do you think we have before we need to move?"

He glanced at one of his men, who promptly replied, "Two hours, three at most, my lady."

It was better than nothing. Turning to the Fourth Prince, she said, "That should be enough time for the men to create a stretcher of sorts. It needn't be perfect… just strong enough to carry buin."

"S-ste-stecher?" Prince Jung clarified, confused.

Hajin silently scolded herself. "I meant a hammock. You know… a hanging bed, something two people can carry between them?" She was relieved when they murmured understanding. "It will have to be made of wood - I want her moved as little as possible. We can do that, right?"

General Park looked at Prince So. "Your Highness, we ask permission to make this stretcher."

He gave an affirmative nod. "Granted. Take as many of the men as possible and make it quick." He looked towards his brothers. "I'll take the rest of the least injured with me and scout the area. You three stay behind and look after the women. We'll be back with news shortly."

With nods exchanged around the room, most of the men left.

Hajin hadn't counted on moving her patient so soon and would need to search the forest for more herbs that could help. She said as much, to everyone's surprise and disapproval.

"I won't take long. I'll go in and be back before the rest of the men," she assured them.

"At least take someone with you," Myunghee urged, but Hajin shook her head, "Everyone else is injured and the princes have been given strict orders to stay put. Besides, General Park and his men will be in the forest. I'll be sure not to stray too far from where they are."

Navigating by candlelight was much harder than Hajin thought. She couldn't see the stars overhead, and the bright light she held only made the darkness around her seem solid. The sound of voices was her only guide. In time, she found General Park and informed him of her intentions.

"My lady, thank you for doing this," he said earnestly. "I am eternally indebted to you for saving my daughter's life. There are more than just men in this forest. If you should encounter anything dangerous, call and I will rush to aid you, no matter where you are."

She appreciated the thought and smiled… though she wished she hadn't heard such an ominous warning right before plunging into unfamiliar territory in the dark. "I'll try to stay within hearing distance. Anyway, we should be able to determine each others' locations through our candles."

Before she left, he unfastened something from his leg and gave it to her. The weapon felt heavy in her hands, even though it was much smaller than a sword. "A father's gratitude. Use it to protect what's important."

The unfamiliar weight on her leg felt strange, and as she had no experience and no wish to ever be part of such violence, she fervently prayed she would never have to use it… though she couldn't say no to having any form of insurance and protection.

She made slow progress through the forest, much to her chagrin. Once, when she was studying to be a nurse, their clinical instructors had brought them out to the province for three days of survival training. They had been allowed none but a few camping essentials and a list of herbs to look for in the forest before their time ran out. Along with those essentials came a flashlight, which was considerably more reliable than a flickering candle, which not only hampered her movements, but gave her a headache.

She took longer as she bent over foliage, inspected mushrooms, bushes and vines, always checking behind her to see if the general was still within vision. Reassured by their proximity, she wandered farther, plucking leaves, flowers, mushrooms, and whatever could be useful, and putting them in a pouch she had brought with her to be inspected at first light the next day.

It was the silence that first alerted her to the possibility of danger. Though she kept perfectly still and strained her ears, she heard nothing… neither the sound of hacking, nor the low rumble of voices and grunts from her male companions. And the worst part was, she wasn't sure when she'd last heard them, having been too busy inspecting the spots on a cluster of mushrooms.

Cautiously, she stood and had a look around, and found to her dread that she couldn't see the light of their candles either. Had she strayed too far? Had they gone back without her?

No… if she was certain of anything, it was that the general wouldn't leave her like this.

Coming to a terrible conclusion, Hajin quickly bent and extinguished her flame - and not a moment too soon. Blinded by the sudden darkness, she lay flat on the ground and rolled sideways into the nearest bush, trying to keep as still and silent as she could. From which direction would danger come? Were the general and his men hiding, preparing to fight back?

The sound of boots made her stop breathing, and she watched, terrified, as a man came into the clearing where she had been. He saw the candle and picked it up, feeling the soft, hot wax.

"This is the place," he said quietly as two more pairs of feet joined him. "Whoever it was is still nearby."

"It looked like a woman," one of his companions said gruffly.

"She's not alone," the first man said with certainty. "Scan the area, but be careful. If you encounter the wolf-dog, don't engage. Keep watch and wait for the rest of the men."

 _Wolf-dog?_ Hajin thought to herself as she watched them leave. She waited a long time to make sure they were safely away before she came out of hiding. Her eyes had adjusted to the gloom by now, but it was not enough to tell her where she was and where her companions were…

She saw the direction each man had headed and took the one that she knew would lead her roughly towards the general.

She dare not speak out. She strained her eyes for vision, willing them to see more. She strained her ears for the faintest of sounds, willing them to hear more. Most importantly, she crouched and kept her hand on the weapon on her leg, ready to strike at the earliest opportunity.

When a hand reached out and clamped her mouth to silence her scream, Hajin forgot her weapon and flailed around to break free, but then the general's familiar voice in her ear made her stop.

"Please calm down, my lady," he whispered, sounding loud in the deafening silence. "We have unwanted visitors."

She nodded and relaxed. "I saw them… there are three right now, but they spoke of more men coming."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

He hesitated only a second longer. With a single gesture, his men stepped quietly out of their hiding places and began to make their way back to the cottage. Apart from the occasional rustle of leaves, you could hardly tell they were there. She realized belatedly how loud she must have been and prayed she hadn't just led the intruders straight to them.

"Follow me," General Park ordered, crouching low and gesturing for her to do the same.

They had gone only a few paces when a man suddenly launched himself at the general, but the general was quicker. A sidestep and a thrust later and the first man crumpled to the ground. The sickening squelch of metal piercing flesh made Hajin whimper as she backed away, but she forced down her panic at the general's hush.

They grew silent, listening… but there was no mistaking the sound of rushing feet now. The other two were coming, and they would be better prepared than the first.

"Run!" General Park barked, pulling Hajin and forcing her ahead of him. "Whatever you do, don't look back!" She heeded his words. Heart in her throat, she ran for all her life's worth. She heard the general engage in battle behind her and cried in terror, hoping he would be alright.

"They're coming!" she yelled the moment she spotted the cot. "Get buin on the stretcher! We need to leave right now!"

"Where's the general?" one man demanded.

"He's fighting!" she replied, just as the princes and Myunghee filed out. To them, she gave a clearer warning, "We need to leave! Men are coming!"

To her surprise, the general's soldiers ignored her and rushed back to the forest. They would have gone in if the general hadn't arrived and barked at them for lingering. "Pack everything! We have no time to linger."

"Do we send someone to warn the Fourth Prince?" one man asked.

"The Fourth Prince will be fine. Right now, you need to worry more about yourselves," General Park said, ordering them to saddle up the horses and ride for Hanseong. "Our King is waiting."

Everyone moved at top speed. With help, Hajin was able to fit the impromptu stretcher with some dried grass and a cloth to make traveling easier for Soon Deok. They tied the stretcher between two horses, ridden by Princes Baek Ah and Eun.

General Park waved away their offers of taking a man each behind them. "Your movements are already hampered. Go, wangja-nim. We will try to slow down the army and ensure your escape. Prince Jung-"

"I'll fight with you and wait for my brother," the youngest prince said firmly. "Sister Hae, Lady Soo… go with them. You need to be far away from here when the fighting starts."

"But if any of you are gravely injured-" Hajin tried to protest, but she found herself instead being hoisted up and placed behind Prince Eun against her will.

"We'll worry about that later."

"Soo-yah, please," Myunghee begged from behind the 13th Prince. "We need to leave."

Reluctantly, Hajin kept silent and watched with worried eyes as the cottage grew smaller and smaller, and finally disappeared at the crest of the wooded hill.

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

"Try to keep her steady," Hajin ordered her companions. She fumbled impatiently with the jar lid, fingers slipping because of all the blood from Soon Deok's wound, which had reopened. "Buin, please bear it for a little longer."

They had ridden for hours until they came upon a shoreline. The princes had quickly scanned the large rocks for a cave to hide in while Myunghee and Hajin fussed over Soon Deok. She had been silent the entire journey, choosing not to alert her companions to the amount of pain she was under for fear they would stop and be overrun by the army. She had counted on the darkness to conceal her pooling blood.

"You should have said something," Myunghee said shakily, unwilling to fully berate the young woman. She wiped sweat and silent tears off of Soon Deok's face while Baek Ah stoked the flames of the fire he had managed to make.

Soon Deok was too weak to reply.

"Damn this thing!" Hajin cursed, unable to get the lid open.

"Here," Prince Baek Ah took the jar and opened it, then he watched with the rest as Hajin began repairing the damage the ride had done to Soon Deok's back.

It took a while for the numbing properties of the mugwort poultice to work, and Hajin couldn't wait 'til then. Soon Deok had already lost too much blood. The wound would have to be stitched again. Though weak and pale, Soon Deok was not unconscious this time and cried out in pain multiple times. Myunghee sobbed silently, while Baek Ah paced the cave.

But it was Eun who felt the effects of his wife's tortured cries the most.

"Buin…" he muttered, looking as pale as she was. He unclenched her hand from its tight grip on the stretcher and took it in his own. "It's okay. You'll be okay. You're stronger than I am. You can get through this."

He continued to utter words of comfort in her ear amidst her strangled screams.

After some time had passed and the herbs finally started to take effect, Soon Deok's cries became less frequent. Hajin worked swiftly, ordering Soon Deok to drink from the flask of watered down wine they had brought with them from time to time.

The sun was fully up by the time Hajin finished, and Soon Deok was fast asleep. She had fainted halfway through the procedure from a combination of pain, exhaustion and alcohol, which Hajin counted as a blessing. Though she had managed to keep her composure, it was with great difficulty. All the operations she had witnessed and assisted in the past had been with the help of sedatives and anaesthetics. She found it was a hundred times harder to remain professional while working on a conscious patient.

"She'll be fine," she assured the 10th Prince, who continued to stare blankly at his wife's bandaged back. Hajin squeezed his shoulder and got up, making her way over to Baek Ah, who was standing watch outside their cave.

"Where do you think we are?" she asked quietly, looking out at the pristine waters of the sea. She hoped the soothing sound of the waves would grant Soon Deok and Myunghee pleasant dreams.

"I'm not sure. I'm used to traveling, but always on the main road," he replied with a sigh. "But if I'm right and we follow the shoreline to the south, we'll be able to cross the inlet at some point and reach Gyeonggi-du, then it'll only be a matter of traveling inland before we reach Hanseong."

"And… what of the others? Had you decided on a place to meet beforehand?"

He nodded. "When sister is well enough, we will travel to the mountains of Paju and search for the rest of our party there."

"How long do you think they'll wait for us? It might take a full month before she's ready for travel."

The prince sighed, but shrugged. "If worse comes to worst… we'll travel on our own. The Grand General told us to ride to Hanseong, so that's where we'll go. Don't worry, Soo-yah… though I may be a sheltered prince, I know enough about the country to be able to navigate us through. We just need to locate the Han River and follow it. Easy."

She eyed him grimly, wondering if he was being serious, but she didn't want to be a debbie downer, so instead she switched topic. "I do hope they all managed to survive."

To her surprise, the prince laughed. "Are you worried about my fourth brother's warning?"

Even more surprised, she stuttered to say, "I'm worried about all of them!" She had no idea anyone else knew about that conversation. Apparently, the 13th prince was well within the 4th prince's confidence. He read her mind and grinned, "Not to worry, my lady. My brother just needed to make sure you could be trusted upon to do your best should the occasion arise. He won't kill you, not with so many people taking your side."

"So," she snapped, blushing, feeling foolish for believing the threat, "are you telling me his bark is, after all, worse than his bite?"

She could tell he was amused. "Not at all. You may have heard of the infamous wolf-dog of Songak…" The name rang a bell, and she remembered hearing it for the first time just the night before. Prince Baek Ah nodded, "For the most part, the rumors about him are true. In this case, my lady…" he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "my brother's bite is literally… definitely… worse than his bark."

* * *

 **Sorry for the late update! I had to cross-check some facts and references, plus I've been busy with work and... CRIMINAL MINDS! Anyone else watching it? I'm really liking it so far, there isn't a dull moment and the conversations are witty - not in the usual funny way, but in a smart way.**

 **Also... sexy Lee Joon Gi. Tee heee**

 **It's very hard to look for historical names of Korean cities and provinces, so I'll have to use modern names for some. Please bear with me!**

 **As always, thanks for reading! ^^**

 **Note: Hanseong = present day Seoul**


	6. Her First Attempt

In this chapter:

 _She didn't know how long she stared… or when she knew… or when the idea started forming in her mind… but thinking of her earlier conversation with Eun had triggered a thought process that was hard to ignore._

 _The water._

* * *

The Fourth Prince and his men scanned one of the two nearest crossings for intruders, but they saw nothing that could indicate an army lying in wait at the otherside. The wooden bridge that had been subjected to the strong river current for days still swayed dangerously over the water, evidently in need of repairs, with large logs and other debris littered all over it, preventing anything less nimble than a man from crossing.

This was a blessing on their part as it meant that even if the royal army were to come, they would need to come cautiously on foot rather than on horses.

"Your Highness…" one of the men suddenly said, low voice alert as he trained his eyes on a lone figure in a straw hat that So could now see was crossing.

So gave the order to be still, but signaled one of the archers to ready his bow.

Despite the lack of light, So had no trouble seeing as he had been trained since childhood to adjust his senses to fit his environment.

The man in the straw hat looked ordinary enough dressed in a loose tunic and trousers, with a large pack on his shoulders and a walking stick in hand. He could have easily passed off as a traveling farmer if not for the weapons on his person, of which the prince had no trouble spotting as the man climbed over the log.

"Knives on both forearms. One on his right leg. Another on his chest. Possibly more in his pack," he informed his men in an undertone. "Stay here and keep watch."

Moving swiftly and silently, he waited until the man was well within the forest before intercepting him. In one fluid motion, So grabbed the man by the collar, pinned him up against a tree, and unsheathed a knife at his belt.

"State your purpose," he said, his voice a low rumble.

The man raised his arms to show his subservience, but in one hand, he held an emblem - an emblem of a king.

"I have a message for his Royal Highness, the Fourth Prince of Goryeo, trusted brother to the rightful king of Goryeo, the Second King Hyejong."

Not that many people knew that his first brother had survived their third brother's coup: to prevent the clans and the people from questioning King Jeongjong's claim to the throne, they were informed that the second king had died of natural causes after years of battling an incurable disease. Meanwhile, King Jeongjong and those loyal to him have been doing their best to locate King Hyejong, even going so far as to frame noblemen who were known sympathizers of the second king of treason in order to justify bringing them in for questioning. So and the other princes had watched everything unfold from the sidelines, biding their time until their first brother was well enough to return…

Circumstances forced their hand when their tenth brother's grandfather, Wang Gyu, was framed and sentenced to death. They had been too late to save the old man and the rest of his family, but were able to successfully free Eun and his wife from prison the night before their public execution. Now branded traitors of the new regime, the princes had no choice but to locate their first brother and start planning a revolt in order to overthrow King Jeongjong.

So released the soldier slowly and watched as he produced a folded up scroll safely hidden in the hem of his sleeves.

"The King has moved to a new location, currently undisclosed in case this message fell into the wrong hands," the messenger said quietly. "Word has reached His Majesty of the attempts to move the capital to Seokyeong."

"Seokyeong?" So asked in surprise, opening the scroll to read it in case the messenger was mistaken. He wasn't. "That would bring us too close to the borders of Khitan." What could their third brother be planning?

The messenger nodded. "It is His Majesty's wish that your party travel to Seokyeong to delay progress as much as you can. He puts his complete faith in the Fourth Prince."

So sighed, not liking the idea. Seokyeong was considerably farther than Hanseong, the road there marred by mountains. It also meant their prospects of a warm welcome was bleak, as most of their allies were to the south of Songak.

However, he couldn't go against a direct order from his brother. If this could help get rid of their current tyrant of a king, they would have to do it using any means necessary.

The messenger had more to say, "A fortress is already being built as we speak, rumored to be far larger and stronger than Cheondeokjeon. It will be difficult to penetrate once fully functional."

Making it harder for their army to win the impending war, unless the war came to them, which was unlikely.

So became suddenly aware of the horses becoming skittish, and seconds later, his men came out of hiding to join them. He saw why when his eyes landed on the man he had sent to scout the otherside of the river.

"Soldiers, Your Highness," he informed breathlessly.

"How many?"

"A hundred at least."

"How far?"

"Close and mobilizing."

* * *

. . . . . 

* * *

Pandemonium greeted them when they arrived at the cottage. So watched in dread as the injured men he had left behind fought to defend themselves against what he estimated to be around fifty attackers. His frantic eyes scanned the figures for his brothers and found their youngest deep in the fray alongside Grand General Park. Even though they were surrounded and being pressed back, So did not worry about Jung as much as he worried for Baek Ah and Eun, who were the least fighters among all of them.

 _Where were they and were they even still alive? And what of the women?_

With no time to waste, he withdrew his sword. His men did the same. And when he charged at the royal soldiers, so did they.

The soldiers, who had been on the verge of victory only moments before, now found themselves at a disadvantage. They watched, scattering and confused as The Fourth Prince and a dozen more charged towards them on horses, swords raised and already drawing blood.

Fifty foot soldiers were nothing against a surprise attack from a dozen cavalry. Swords came at them from all sides as thousands of pounds of horses with men on their backs broke into their ranks. Jung and the general, realizing they were saved, fought back with renewed vigor.

It only took a couple of minutes to incapacitate their enemies, afterwhich So quickly dismounted and had a look around.

"Spare them," So commanded gruffly in time to see one of his men lift a barely conscious soldier from the ground. "They are under orders, as you are. I will not tolerate the unnecessary spilling of more blood. Knock them out and make sure they sleep until morning. Our priority should be to look after our injured."

"Hyung-nim!" Jung limped towards him, a relieved grin on his face.

So eyed his brother critically, finding to his satisfaction that though he had some scrapes and bruises, he wasn't gravely injured. "Where are the others? Have they been captured?"

Jung shook his head. "We made sure they escaped first."

That was a relief. He nodded approval and addressed General Park, who had joined them. "We'll need to regroup immediately and find them. Some of the men are gravely injured, and we have reason to believe more soldiers are on their way here."

"Then we definitely have no time to waste," the general agreed.

* * *

. . . . . 

* * *

Hajin ached all over. Back bent, shoulders hunched, fingers pressing strongly against her third piece of pottery, she raised her face to the cave ceiling and let out a frustrated growl.

She ignored the chuckles of her companions. "So, how about it?" Prince Baek Ah grinned, crouching in front of her. "Ready to let me try? You've been at this since late morning. You need to rest."

In her tired state, she could only stare at him.

"Come on, we all had a hand at finding the clay, digging the pit, readying the fire, and all that. Why can't we help with this?" he pressed.

When they first arrived here almost a month ago, Hajin determined at once that they would need some tools for cooking and heating things. Soon Deok's wound needed to be kept moist at all times to ensure quicker healing, and Hajin wanted to do so by applying an herbal compress rather than plain water and animal fat, though she was pleased to note that Soon Deok's wound was healing nicely enough, her stitches already removed and a thin layer of new skin forming, rejoining what had been sundered.

Apart from mixing herbal concoctions, good soup would make a wonderful addition to their meals and… as far as drinking water went… her insides squirmed as she imagined all the potential germs and parasites they'd ingested just by taking water straight from the stream. Though they all assured her it was perfectly clean and safe, modern sanitation practices told her it was better to be safe than sorry.

"He's right, Soo-yah… let us help you," Myunghee said from beside Baek Ah. "You've already formed two good pots. We know how bowls look like, so we should be able to make those, even if they don't come out perfect."

Baek Ah and Eun nodded agreement.

"I can-"

"No," everyone firmly told Soon Deok, who immediately slumped back onto her stretcher, looking bored out of her wits.

"Alright, fine… you all saw how I did the pots?" Hajin stared her students down, suspicious even as they nodded. "Let's take turns, then. Baek Ah-nim can start. It's getting late and we need to fetch more water and check the traps before night sets in."

"I'll come," Eun offered, getting up.

"Then I'll stay and look after Soon Deok," Myunghee said.

Eun and Hajin picked up their half-empty flasks and two of the baskets Myunghee had tightly woven out of the mature reeds that had been plucked from a nearby marsh, and set off.

They had settled into a kind of routine after just a few days of being together. They always went out in pairs, exploring and looking for signs of their former companions. Though they still had no news of the latter, at least their explorations had been fruitful and highly eventful. Being near the sea meant clay was readily available, and further inland, saltwater gradually became fresh, with rivulets culminating in marshes and tiny ponds rife with plant life and animals from which they got their food.

Hajin now regarded all four of her companions as friends. Being a modern woman, she had little care for status and titles, and in her familiarity with the princes, sometimes found herself addressing them by their first names. Though they had looked surprised and downright scandalized at first, they were used enough to Hajin's unorthodox behavior and did not take offense.

"Soo-yah, I've been wondering… where did you learn to make pots?" Eun asked her as they trudged through the mud towards the first trap he had set at a nearby patch of grass.

"Oh, well my unc-" she caught herself in time and cleared her throat, "the one who found me… was a potter. He taught me how." That was a lie, but she couldn't very well tell him that her uncle had been a historian who tended to travel a lot and always brought her with him. They had both taken a pottery class on one of their many trips to Japan. The master there had been very skillful, and she had learned quickly.

"What about you? How did a prince like you learn how to make traps?" she asked curiously.

His shy, bright smile told her all she needed to know.

"I was bored one day because all my brothers were busy with their royal duties… my wife taught me how. She's taught me many things, actually."

Hajin smiled. "Were you already married then?"

He shook his head, his smile faltering. "Long before that. I'd already known her since she was a child, but I never thought much of her until my father announced we were to be married. At the time… I really didn't want to."

She figured as much. She'd already surmised Soon Deok's affection for her husband to be genuine and possibly one-sided… but watching Eun these past few weeks has left her with no doubt as to his own feelings, which must have grown over time.

"What changed?" she asked.

He scratched his chin in thought. "I don't know, really. It just happened. Does that happen?"

"I wouldn't know," she laughed.

"You mean you've never loved anyone before?" he asked, curious.

"Er… well, I lost my memory, didn't I? I might have once… but I don't remember anymore," she lied again with a forced smile. She wished she could forget that jerk. If she ever saw him again, she promised herself she would kill him.

"If" being the operative word as she still had no idea how to get back.

"We caught something!" Eun exclaimed excitedly, running up to their first trap. "Looks like we can have meat again tonight!"

* * *

. . . . . 

* * *

That night after eating, they all prepared for bed. Their newly formed pots, pans and bowls sat drying at a far corner, close to the fire pit. In a few days, they would be ready for baking. Hajin's eyes shifted to the other corner to where they kept the numerous dry wood and grass they had managed to collect. She hoped they would be enough; prayed she had gotten the process right as she lay down beside Myunghee and watched as little bits of ember jumped into the air, burned brightly, and then disappeared.

She didn't know how long she stared… or when she knew… or when the idea started forming in her mind… but thinking of her earlier conversation with Eun had triggered a thought process that was hard to ignore.

The water.

There was no other explanation. She couldn't do anything to bring about an eclipse, but if the water was all she needed… if that was the conduit for her time travel…

She had to give it a try.

Glancing around her, she saw that her friends had fallen asleep. To be sure, she waited a few more minutes before she got up and went out.

A few steps down the beach and her feet immediately met with seawater. The tide was in: she would not have to go too far for what she was planning to do. It was as if someone was watching and had made sure to set the conditions right for her to proceed.

She might be able to get home today.

She turned and looked at the dimly lit cave opening, feeling immeasurably sad at the thought of leaving her new friends… but she was not from here. She had no idea why she was even brought here. Maybe it was to heal Soon Deok… maybe that girl was important and Hajin had just saved the world by healing her.

That was a comforting thought. Another comforting thought was the fact that her friends were survivors. She wished them luck, wished them well as she turned her back on them and waded into deeper water. The incoming waves were strong, flowing over her hanbok, dragging her down. It was getting harder and harder to move.

 _Just as well_ , she thought, _let it weigh me down and stop me from trying to surface before it's time._

She walked towards the full moon reflected on the water ahead. She had stayed in Goryeo for an entire moon cycle. She supposed that was long enough.

One step more, two steps more, three steps more.

The water was now up to her hips.

One more and she would be directly over the moon, just as she had been directly over the eclipse. One more step and she would know… would she wake up to the same scenery? Or would she wake on the banks of a much newer, modern Korea?

One more step… and she braced herself for the fall that never happened.

Opening her eyes, she looked around and saw that she was still in Goryeo, and still very much dry. But of course she would still be here… if she had to drown to come here, it would make sense that she had to drown to leave.

Gathering her courage, she faced the water head-on. She hadn't enjoyed her first experience with drowning… but there was no helping it now. She had to try. Taking her father's army knife from one of her sleeve pockets, Hajin held it close to her heart and asked her parents and uncle to lend her their strengths.

Closing her eyes once more, she plunged into the water and stayed down.

* * *

. . . . . 

* * *

The next time she was conscious, her first thought was of the massive pain in her head and chest, and the never-ending fit of coughs racking her sore body as she expelled all the water she had drank.

She rolled to her side and coughed some more, feeling her eyes water as she desperately gasped for air.

"Are you alright?"

A man's voice. But whose?

"Are you crazy? What were you trying to do?" he demanded, thumping her back, helping to expel the water clinging onto her epiglottis.

"Where… where am I?" she wheezed weakly, getting up on all fours.

The man sighed. "You're on dry land. I saw you face down in the water and pulled you out. Yah, you're lucky I was here and saw you."

She shook her head. "I meant… what year?"

He sighed again. "What? Did you lose your memory again?"

Looking up, she was greeted by the irritated face of the Fourth Prince. "You?" she asked weakly.

"Tell me, what do you have against me that you would drown yourself whenever I'm around?" he asked sardonically.

She closed her eyes and groaned. She was still in Goryeo. Her plan hadn't worked. All she'd managed to do was soak herself to the bone, bruise her body, and annoy an apparently very tired, very bad-tempered Fourth Prince.

"Thank you for saving me," she coughed, laying spreadeagled on the sand and staring up at the sky. The stars were very bright tonight.

He shook his head and got up. She really was a strange woman.

"When did you get here?" she asked, watching him. And then, realising who he was and the significance of his presence, she sat upright with a gasp. "You're here!"

"Yes," he said dryly, taking his coat off the ground. "Where are the others?"

Hajin lifted her hand in the general direction of the cave.

"Can you still walk?" he asked, strapping the weapons he had discarded before he had rushed in to save her back onto his person.

"I think so," she grumbled, getting awkwardly to her feet.

When he began to make his way towards the cave, she grabbed his arm to stop him. "Please… don't tell them about what just happened. I don't want them to worry."

He eyed her steadily and shrugged. "I won't talk. Your clothes say enough."

Without another word, he left her standing in the mud.

* * *

 **Hah! Bet y'all weren't expecting Mu to be alive *snicker***

 **So I've got about 4 years of Jeongjong's reign to cover - lots of political intrigue and adventure and stuff, so I'm trying to compress everything as much as possible. Please tell me if you think the story is progressing too fast or too slow. I don't really want this to be as long as my _Epilogue_ fic XD**

 **Also, they're on the run from the king's army so not much chance to breathe yet, but they will! Or did. But more on that in the next chapter :D**

 _*Note: Seokyeong = present day Pyongyang_


	7. The Bloody King of Goryeo

In this chapter:

The _professor may have been onto something. Though So indeed had a quick temper and undeniable skills in fighting, he was also intelligent and not without a conscience or compassion. He obviously cared for his brothers and sisters-in-law… and has been responsibly watching out for the men under his wing. Including her._

 _So then, why?_

* * *

"I… I couldn't sleep and decided to go for a little dip," Hajin stammered in response to Myunghee's questions.

Myunghee crossed her arms. "A little dip? You're soaked! It's late autumn! Supposing you become terribly ill? You've always had weak lungs. Or what if you'd gotten hurt and drowned?"

Hajin said quickly, "I'm fine, I just got a little carried away." _Literally_ , she silently thinks, then straightens up and points to their makeshift kiln. "I'll just go over to the fire and dry myself and-"

Her cousin didn't let her finish. Turning to her brothers-in-law, she said, "I'm sorry but please step out for a moment."

Hajin wasn't sure what her cousin was going to do. Punishments had been pretty severe back in the day, or so she had gathered from years of being raised by her uncle and his friends.

As they left, the princes had on different expressions: Baek Ah was looking amused, which made her indignant; Eun was looking at her with wide, fearful eyes, which didn't help… and So wasn't looking at her at all, which was to be expected.

"What happened, hyung-nim?" Baek Ah asked their fourth brother once they were outside. "Where are the others?"

The deep frown on So's face was not reassuring. "They were ambushed after you left. Few survived."

Eun gasped. "Jungie? And my father-in-law?"

At this, So's expression lightened somewhat. "They're alright. A little cut up and bruised, but alive and alert. They'll be waiting for us at the hidden fortress of Taehung, where our first brother spent years in study."

Eun sighed in relief. "That's good. Any word on my grandfather and mother?"

Baek Ah and So exchanged the briefest of glances before the former cleared his throat, "Hyung-nim… our fourth brother has probably spent the past month looking for us…"

"I know, but he might have heard something," Eun insisted, eyes full of hope as he looked up at So. "Did you hear anything at all, hyung-nim?"

Reluctantly, So shook his head.

The disappointment on Eun's face and voice was palpable. "I suppose no news is good news. You'll tell me if you ever do hear something, won't you?"

So forced a small smile and a nod, but he couldn't bring himself to verbalize such an empty promise. Soon Deok had asked them all to keep silent for now… at least until they were much safely away. Knowing what they knew of Eun's passionate and impulsive nature, the brothers had agreed to the request.

"Will we be safe at Taehung?" Baek Ah asked to steer the conversation away from Wang Gyu. "It's a long journey and it'll take us close to the capital."

So had already considered that and determined an alternative route. "Not if we go through the mountains. It'll take longer, but safety is our utmost concern at the moment."

"But why Taehung?" Eun asked. "I thought we were going to Hanseong… so why are we traveling north?"

So exchanged looks with Baek Ah again. "Hanseong is overrun with royal soldiers. It is no longer safe for us. We've decided to travel north to Seokyeong and seek allies there."

When Myunghee told them it was alright to come back inside some time later, Eun did so, leaving his two brothers behind.

"Why are we really going to Seokyeong, hyung-nim?" Baek Ah asked in a low whisper, edging closer.

"Our King has left Hanseong. We don't know where he is, but he has left instructions to delay construction work on the fortress at Seokyeong as much as we can," So replied, cricking his neck and rolling his shoulders with a sigh. He'd been traveling on horseback for weeks and was exhausted. "The monks at Taehung temple are good with medicine and loyal to our king. We'll regroup there, spend a few days to recuperate, then be on our way."

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

Prince So stared at his breakfast the next day. In the middle of the group sat a basket of apples and persimmons, and beside that was another basket of roasted mushrooms and fresh leaves. Not only did they not look appetizing… they were not enough for six people.

"Have the five of you been eating nothing but plants all this time?" he asked, already feeling sorry for them. Jung should have gone with them, if only for the fact that he was an experienced enough hunter to provide proper food for half a dozen people.

Eun and Baek Ah nodded grimly. Fowls and quails hardly had any meat on them, and they were tough.

"Ahem. Fruits, vegetables and mushrooms," Hajin sniffed, taking the fruits and passing them around. "They're healthy!"

"I've made some small traps and caught some birds and rabbits!" Eun informed their older brother excitedly. "And I sharpened this stick to spear fish with, but they're harder to catch than I thought."

So eyed the flimsy spear. It was long, and the tip indeed was sharp, but it was too thin. In a battle between spear and fish, he'd bet on the fish.

"We don't really have the weapons or the skills to hunt down larger prey," Myunghee said apologetically, helping Soon Deok to sit up. Eun rushed immediately to lend a hand.

So eyed his younger sister-in-law. She was looking much better than the last time he saw her, no doubt thanks to Myunghee and Hae Soo's care. "Are you well?"

Soon Deok nodded. "By next week, I hoped I would be able to hunt for the group."

"Rest up for now. You'll need to heal as much as you can before we leave. We'll give it another two weeks. That should be enough time," he said firmly, making Soon Deok pout. To the rest of their companions, So said, "I'll be in charge of food from now on."

With that, he got up and left, hiding a smile at the look of excitement on his brothers' faces.

"I'm coming!"

He sighed and told Hae Soo firmly to be a good girl and get back inside.

Indignant but determined, she fell into step beside him, doubling her strides to match his pace. "I'm not a child. I can look after myself."

"Of course," he muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"Why are you really coming?"

"To pick more fruits."

He pointed to a nearby tree. "That tree has fruits. Happy picking." He reached his horse and took his bow and arrow, finding to his dismay that she was still behind him. He could hear her tapping feet and forced slow, heavy breathing.

"Ginkgos are healthy, yes, but they smell foul and I'm not confident in my tree scaling abilities. I would prefer to have a pair of gloves while dealing with them, or else some soap to wash off the stench afterwards."

"Some what?"

She shook her head and stammered, "Bathing aid."

He had no idea what she was talking about, but they were wasting time and he knew she would be stubborn about coming. So he grabbed her without permission, making her squawk in surprise, and deposited her onto his saddle. They'd travel faster if he didn't have to watch out for her every step of the way.

"By the way…" she began as they traveled sometime later, trying not to feel too self-conscious as she stared straight ahead, grateful that he was behind her and couldn't see her face. She found herself unconsciously biting her lips and stopped. "Last night, when you found me… was I unconscious?" She had no idea how much of her life she owed him. Did people of this time know CPR?

He evaded the question by asking her one of his own, "Last night, how did Myunghee punish you?"

"Punish? Who said anything about punish?" she forced a laugh despite feeling embarrassed and more than a little indignant at the memory of Myunghee whacking her behind with Eun's flimsy spear. Soon Deok said she was lucky Myunghee had allowed her to keep her underdress on, which she supposed was fair as she suspected the beating was meant to humiliate rather than physically hurt. "Oh, Eun-nim says this is where he gets most of his birds."

"A beating, maybe? That's common."

She wanted to snap at him to drop it, but then she saw something that made her screech, "Stop!"

Surprised, So pulled on the reins and drew his sword.

"Nettle shoots! I see nettle shoots!"

He prayed hard for patience. "What would you want with nettles?"

"Unnie's cough is worsening because of the cold weather. Nettle tea should help," she replied, trying to determine how to get down. She barely knew how to stay on. "I've been looking for some for weeks, but they've mostly been fully grown and starting to rot. We need to get those shoots now before it gets any colder!"

With a sigh, he got off and helped her down. "Stay here with the horse and try not to get into trouble. I'll need to go deeper."

She nodded, already making her way towards the stinging plants. So tied the horse to a nearby tree and left, wondering if she could be relied upon to look after herself.

It took a bit of tracking, but he eventually found a healthy young boar amidst a cluster of bushes, making a meal out of what was left of a deer carcass. Checking to make sure there were no other hunters around, So aimed a shot and took it.

Returning to his horse afterwards, he was dismayed to find that he couldn't see Hae Soo anywhere, neither could he see the shoots, which apparently had been picked. "Where did she run off to now?" he sighed, determining a course of action. He hung the boar on a branch to keep it from most predators and began to search the area.

There, leaning precariously over the bank of the river, Hae Soo stretched out an arm towards a particularly red apple hovering just inches out of reach.

He watched her for a few more seconds before determining she was getting nowhere in her attempts and reached out from behind her to pluck it himself.

Startled, Hae Soo flinched and lost her footing. She watched, as though in slow motion, the river water zooming in towards her vision, her reflection showing just how horrified she was at what was happening, but she had barely registered falling when someone grasped her by the waist and pulled her away from the water's edge.

She found herself staring into the amused eyes of the fourth prince.

As suddenly as he held her, he let go, causing her to stumble to the ground with a thud. Wincing and groaning, she glared up at him. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

Choosing to ignore her, he turned around, but not before she called out, "Stop right there!"

He watched with increasing amusement as she brushed herself and stood. "Being a prince, you probably think I'm just a nobody who doesn't deserve to be treated with respect. However," she marched up to him and jabbed his chest with her forefinger, "that does not mean you can treat me like a sack of potatoes. I am a person and would like to be treated thus!"

"Don't you know how to be grateful? I just saved you from another beating," he said.

Fresh memories of being hit as a result of getting unnecessarily soaked crossed through Hajin's mind before she could stop them.

"Before you argue about that, you should thank me for saving you." He leaned into her personal space, a malicious glint in his eyes. "Or shall I tell Myunghee you strayed off again and almost fell into the river?"

She glared at him, but found she couldn't argue - the fate of her injured pride and bottom rested on his discretion. She had no idea he would be back so soon and had decided to check the riverside just in case there were more shoots growing there.

He must be as good a hunter as he is a fighter, which, all things considered, wasn't surprising. She needed to stop underestimating this prince.

Swallowing a retort, she gave a curt nod and mumbled, "Thank you. Though I would have been perfectly fine if you hadn't startled me."

He scoffed. "Even after hearing Myunghee's warnings, you're not afraid of me. You would have fallen in without my help. You're too short."

"I know you're someone I shouldn't take lightly, but I'm not afraid of you," she said firmly, drawing herself up to full height - which wasn't much. "And I would have found a way to get the apple without falling in, so don't you dare use my height against me."

"Always talking back," he shook his head and thrust the apple into her startled but eager hands. "I still don't trust you." With one last suspicious look, he left.

"Well, I don't trust you either!" she snapped. Jung, Baek Ah and Eun were such nice young men. How could they have someone so disagreeable for a brother?

She wasn't completely ignorant about this man. She may not know who he is as a prince, but she knew exactly who he would turn out to be. Though the full details and circumstances surrounding the events of his future were unclear, the important thing was she knew he would one day become the infamous Gwangjong, Fourth King of Goryeo. _Manslayer. Bloody Monarch of Goryeo._ Gwangjong's birthname had been So… and he had been the fourth son of the original King Taejo.

This was definitely him… and he would one day earn that reputation by ordering mass killings throughout his reign.

Warily, she followed him up the slope. She watched as he brought down his kill and strapped it to the side of his horse. He's a killer, no doubt about it. But would he really kill that many people, outside of battle?

He turned to her then and silently asked her if she was coming. Tamping down the sudden fear that had arisen in her gut at the image of this man drenched in blood and surrounded by bodies, she squared her shoulders, pocketed her apple and tied the string pouch containing the nettle shoots at her waist, and raised her hands to him to be lifted.

She was curious about this prince, who would go down in history as being Goryeo's most ruthless king. If she could get back to her time, she would have a lot to tell the professor, who had been researching on Gwangjong, trying to gleam his motives. The accounts about him, written by the nobles, had all been terrible. They portrayed him as a man verging on lunacy, who had a quick temper and an unforgiving nature. But the professor refused to believe it. He couldn't believe a king who had ruled for so long and established so much would be crazy. There had to be a reason…

A reason for so many murders in a span of 25 years?

Hajin glanced at the strong hands holding the reins on either side of her, as they rode back towards their companions. She looked up and met his eyes, and immediately faced forward again.

The professor may have been onto something. Though So indeed had a quick temper and undeniable skills in fighting, he was also intelligent and not without a conscience or compassion. He obviously cared for his brothers and sisters-in-law… and has been responsibly watching out for the men under his wing. Including her.

So then, why?

If she couldn't find a way to get back to her time, she was afraid she would know the answers eventually… perhaps even be witness to all of it.

 _Three years, Hajin-ah…_ she thought to herself, _you have three years to figure out how to escape and get back home._

* * *

 _And cut! Thank you for the positive reviews so far, they're very much appreciated. I'm glad you're all enjoying this story!  
_ _F_ _or those who haven't read the Outlander books, here are some notes comparing events of this story with MLSHR and Outlander:_

 _1\. In Outlander, Claire traveled through time by passing through the stone circle of Craigh na Dun. In MLSHR, Hajin's 21st century soul entered Hae Soo's 10th century body after drowning in an eclipse. I combined both events and made it so that Hajin herself traveled in time after almost drowning at Lake Dongji._

 _2\. In MLSHR, Hajin had an ex-boyfriend who cheated on her with her best friend and ran away with all her money. In Outlander, Claire had a husband named Frank whom she loved but was separated from for years because of the war. Outlander starts with them being reunited after the end of the war. Frank had an ancestor, "Black Jack" Randall, who was all things wrong with the world. In this fic, I once again combined both elements, keeping Hajin's story but giving her ex an incarnation in Goryeo, the 9th Prince Won. And we all know Won was a bast*rd too LOL I'll be giving him some of Black Jack's personality, so be prepared for some twisted shit xD_

 _3\. Claire was raised by her uncle, who was a historian. I incorporated this element into Hajin's life, making her an orphan (much as Hae Soo had been) raised by her uncle. That's why she is somewhat knowledgeable on historical events and is friends with Professor Choi, who took her to the historical site in the first place._

 _4\. As for the beating after trying to drown herself, Claire in Outlander got a similar though more wicked beating from Jamie after she tried to escape back towards Craigh na Dun and caused a lot of people a lot of trouble (they were already married at the time). I decided to let Myunghee do it this time just because :P_

 _5\. After running away from the redcoats in Outlander, Claire was brought to a cot where she healed Jamie's shoulder before traveling with the Scots to Castle Leoch. Instead of So being injured, I made it Soon Deok, who in the drama flung herself between a sword and her husband and got herself killed. Well, she didn't die and Hajin saved her instead :D_

 _6\. Claire had been a battle nurse. Hajin had been a make-up artist. In this fic, Hajin will be a trained but not professional nurse, and still a make-up artist._

 _You might have recognized other parallels, like lines said and stuff, but there are so many, I decided to just point out the major stuff. Will So and Soo be forced to marry each other, as Claire and Jamie were? Read on to find out :D_

As always, thank you and have a blessed week ahead!


	8. Stone Cold

In this chapter:

 _"It's gone," she whispered, feeling faint and weak._

 _"Gone? What is?" Myunghee asked, forcing her to make eye contact, but Hajin's eyes had glazed over with tears._

 _She had just enough strength to whisper, "Gone," one last time before she fell to the ground and lost consciousness._

* * *

In two weeks, they left for the temple of Taehung, keeping close to the shoreline as they headed north, and then going inland to follow the narrow river that would lead them to the farming community of Kaepung.

They made good progress traveling during the day and resting at night and had managed to travel another two weeks without encountering anyone by keeping away from the main roads.

Thankfully, Soon Deok's back had healed sufficiently enough for her to be able to ride on horseback, which should have made everyone happy… unfortunately, with the proliferation of new cells came itching, and as she was not allowed to scratch, it made her irritable.

"Yah! Stop wriggling!" Eun finally snapped. He turned on the saddle to glare at her. "You're going to make me fall off, and if I fall off, so will you! Do you have any idea how hard I've been holding on? My hands and thighs are bruised!"

"It's not like I can help it!" she snapped back, wriggling some more and moaning about how uncomfortable her back felt.

"And you'll attract all kinds of beasts being loud like that," he grumbled, the tips of his ears turning red at the sounds she was making.

"Forget beasts, the royal army are probably already waiting for us at the other side of this mountain," Baek Ah chuckled from somewhere ahead with Myunghee, who admonished, "Shh! Don't say things like that!"

From her position in front of the fourth prince, Hajin just smiled and listened. They had three horses in all - two they had used to get to the cave, and the third belonging to Prince So. Naturally, Eun and Soon Deok took the first one, and though Hajin had hoped she would be able to ride with Baek Ah, the fourth prince's blunt pragmatism dashed that hope completely with the reasoning that she was abysmal at horse riding and, between him and Baek Ah, he was the better rider.

"We need to balance it out. Myunghee with Baek Ah."

And that was that.

Still, Hajin had always been an optimist and thought to herself that having such a silent companion was good because it meant she was frequently left alone with her thoughts, and she made sure to use those moments to ponder on whatever little thing came to mind.

Like that little sparrow grooming itself on a little puddle left over from last night's short rain. Or that nice little cluster of poisonous mushrooms at the base of that majestic pine tree that seemed to reach the heavens. Or the red and brown leaves littering the soaked, earthen floor. Or that annoying little bee that's been buzzing around her ear since five minutes ago. And that man.

"Man!" she gasped, recoiling and knocking her head against So's jaw.

He grunted and winced, "I know." Keeping his head to the side to avoid further mishaps, he added, "There are two of them - a man and a woman. They've been following us since an hour ago."

She turned to stare at him. "You're not worried they might be spies for the king? We're pretty close to the village."

"Not likely. They're outlaws, wondering how best to steal our food. By the looks of them, they haven't stored enough to last through winter, which is why they're desperate enough to try and rob us."

"Oh," she said, trying to locate the man again, but he had gone. "But why would there be outlaws?"

He wondered if she was being serious, but decided to humor her anyway. "There are no shortage of reasons. They have no food, so they aren't farmers, and they're reluctant to fight us, which means they aren't soldiers. And since they lack stealth, they can't be hunters. In all likelihood, they're lowly merchants who were forced to abandon their homes after being unable to pay their taxes. To build his new fortress, my brother is demanding an increase in tax across the land. Failure to pay means death."

"That's terrible!" she exclaimed angrily. "He should increase trade, or export goods to foreign lands, not extort his own people!"

Her choice of words intrigued him. "I don't know about exporting goods. Our relationship with Khitan is even more fragile now than it had been during my father's reign because they're bound to know that though the clans have sworn allegiance to the throne out of fear of retribution, they are not all loyal to the one sitting on it. There are those that still question Jeongjong's ascension to power."

"Okay," she said slowly, "Still, there are plenty who would kill for a pound of genuine Korean ginseng. What about Japan? Hong Kong? The Western countries? America? Oh… but come to think of it… they don't exist yet in this time…" she ended up mumbling.

Once again, he was baffled as to what she could be talking about, and in his bafflement, he came to his senses. He had no idea why he was talking so much.

"Anyway, the point is, there are many ways to get money without making the people suffer," she said, giving up on dates and world history. She lifted a hand and began to briefly enumerate whatever possibilities came to mind, while he listened with an increasingly painful one. "You can even invest in growing enterprises. That's a sure way to double, triple your money. Even more!"

"Money?"

"You know… currency. You give people money and they give you goods or services in return."

He wondered if she had lost her language along with her memories. "You mean grain?"

Belatedly remembering where she was and who she was with, Hajin bit her tongue and suppressed a groan. But of course, people of this time were more into trading, as actual money would only come about much later in the century. She realized that majority of the Chinese currency being used in this time probably circulated among rich families, which meant the standard mode of payment for the commoners would of course be through grains, cloths and other valuable goods. She had to stop thinking of herself as Go Hajin and start thinking of herself as Hae Soo.

"I meant myeongdojun," she said, "you know, knife money from Qin."

"Ah." Finally, something he was familiar with. "Our relationship with Qin isn't all that better. Their conflict with Khitan is probably the only reason they've left us alone this long."

"Well, then what do you suggest?" she asked in exasperation. "You can't tell me you agree with your brother's methods? Isn't that why you're fighting him in the first place?"

Refusing to be drawn into a conversation where he might unwittingly divulge secrets worth more than his own life, he kept silent and blocked her voice from his mind. Hajin, realizing she was being snubbed and indignant at the fact, expressed her annoyance by pinching his right knee. This caused him to flinch so badly that he kicked his horse's flanks and sent them racing through the trees at high speed, their companions calling after them in surprise. Though Hajin tried her best to remain seated, her efforts were futile and she could only watch, screaming, as she flew off the horse and fell to the ground. And if that wasn't bad enough, the ground she had fallen on sloped downward, and by the time she had stopped rolling at the base of the hill, she was completely winded and dazed. And surrounded.

With a cough and a wince, she staggered to her feet, clutching at her aching arms. "Who are you?"

There were two men and two women, dressed in muddied clothes, the women's hair unkempt and the men's faces unshaven. In hurried tones, the first man ordered her to take off her clothes, all the while with eyes darting to and fro in search of danger.

Hajin gulped, hoping Prince So was feeling generous enough to come to her rescue sooner rather than later. How was she to know he was the ticklish sort? She'd thought for sure that, taking into account his general lack of sensitivity, he would be immune to such trivial physical stimuli.

Suddenly imagining the surprised look on the prince's normally impassive face gave Hajin the irrational urge to start giggling.

"Now!" the second man yelled, coming forward.

Instinctively, Hajin backed up some more, all traces of humor gone when the man withdrew a weapon and aimed it at her.

"And leave me in nothing but my undergarments in this cold weather?" she asked indignantly. Looking at the tiny knife in the man's hand reminded her of the two she had on her - one a gift from her father, the other from General Park. Though her father's knife was tiny in comparison, it was easier to get it from within her sleeves without arousing suspicion... and having a tiny weapon at hand was better than none.

Making a show of untying her hanbok, she reached into her sleeve and felt… nothing. Nothing but the soaked cigarette lighter. Her father's knife was gone.

Forgetting her situation, Hajin began searching everywhere. She felt the knife strapped to her leg, the hidden pockets in her sleeves and skirt, as well as bodice and belt… nothing. Where could it be?

"Hey! What are you doing? I told you to-" The second man had taken a step towards her, but she barely saw him through her distress.

That had been her father's last gift… she had kept it with her at all times for over a decade, always with her. How could it disappear just like that?

She didn't even notice the fourth prince's arrival until he was directly in front of her. She couldn't hear what he was saying. In her desperation, she was practically ripping her clothes apart, hoping she had made a mistake. She had probably just hidden it somewhere else… she must have.

"Yah," the fourth prince turned around, alarmed by her behavior. "What's wrong with you? You don't need to take your clothes off anymore, they've-"

"Soo-yah!" Though Myunghee sounded far away, she was within Hajin's vision in an instant and grasping her arms, looking her over for any signs of injury. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"It's gone," she whispered, feeling faint and weak.

"Gone? What is?" Myunghee asked, forcing her to make eye contact, but Hajin's eyes had glazed over with tears.

She had just enough strength to whisper, "Gone," one last time before she fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

It was dark when next she opened her eyes. A single candle flickered on the floor feet from where she slept, illuminating a small wooden room with sparse, simple wooden furnishings. Her fingers closed around the soft fabric that had been keeping her warm, and the rest of her aching body met with cool sheets and soft linens.

Though her head throbbed unpleasantly, she forced herself to sit up, wondering where she was.

The sounds of her movements alerted whoever was keeping watch outside her room. A shuffle of feet, a few moments of silence, and the sliding of the door later and Hajin was greeted by a regal-looking woman all dressed in white, her dark hair tied in a knot above her head, and the sternest expression on her fair face.

"Ah, so you finally wake," the woman remarked, issuing whispered instructions to the man hovering outside the room before sliding the door shut.

"Who are you?" Hajin croaked, her throat parched, her lips dry. "Where am I? Where are my friends?"

The woman took her time answering. She took a tray containing a pot, a cup, some bowls and herbs from one of the low tables nearby and knelt before Hajin's sickbed with all the grace of a trained court lady. Hajin recognized the chopped root on the tray as tienchi ginseng.

"Concussion," she mumbled absentmindedly, rubbing the sore spot on the back of her head on which she had collided against a sharp rock during her tumble in the forest. It had been bandaged neatly and Hajin knew for certain it was this woman who had done it.

The woman's eyebrows lifted slightly in evident surprise. "You know something about herbs?"

Hajin nodded, then stopped because it made her head spin. "I studied herbs when I was… younger." She cleared her throat and took the tea cup with a whispered thanks, draining the contents in one gulp. The drink was bitter, but she was too weak and in pain to do anything except repeat her earlier questions. "And how long have I been asleep?"

"The young princes brought you here three days ago. You were badly wounded and unresponsive, and you'd been asleep so long, they all worried you might never wake up," she explained.

"Three days?" Hajin gasped, slack-jawed from surprise. "I've been sleeping for three days?"

"Possibly four. It took them a good day's ride to get here."

"And where exactly is this place?"

"You are in the Fortress of Taehung on Mt. Chonma, and you are extremely lucky to be alive." The woman stood, taking the tray and depositing it back onto the table. "As for your friends, I'm afraid they are all asleep so you'll have to wait until morning to see them."

Hajin scowled at the turn of events. They had probably been only a day or two away from this place and she had to get injured at the last possible moment. Though the woman claimed she was lucky just to be alive, Hajin secretly thought the contrary: she must have the worst luck in the history of mankind.

"Sleep, Hae Soo-shi, and welcome to Taehung Castle."

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

"Soo-yah!" Eun's gleeful shriek had her jumping out of her skin the next morning.

Looking up from her breakfast, Hajin saw everyone converging towards her and returned their warm smiles. "Hello."

"You gave all of us quite a fright." As Prince Jung sat across from her, Hajin was happy to see that he looked well, no longer as bruised and cut up as his brother said he was.

"And how are things over here?" Baek Ah's boyish grin was handsome and teasing as he patted her head, "Now that you've hit your head twice, have you finally regained your memories as Hae Soo?"

"Er… not exactly," she admitted, spooning a large portion of porridge into her mouth to avoid having to answer similar questions.

"It doesn't matter, what's important is she's alright," Myunghee sighed, looking the worse for wear. She had large bags under her eyes and looked like she hadn't slept for days. She was still dressed in her dirty travel clothes.

"Nui, after you spent three days and three nights at the temple praying for her, the gods would have felt they had no choice but to give her back," Baek Ah teased, squeezing Myunghee's shoulder.

Guilty, Hajin - no, Hae Soo - offered her cousin her bowl of porridge. "How's your cough?"

"Much better with the tea, actually," Myunghee replied, taking a mouthful. "I've had that cough for years… who would have thought a bunch of weeds would end up curing it?"

"My back's much better, too," Soon Deok piped up from beside her. "I was able to go hunting with my father yesterday. Ah, it felt so good to be back on a horse!"

Piqued, Eun turned to her. "You rode on a horse behind me for weeks!"

She gave him a blank look. "Those didn't count. I want to feel the wind on my face when I'm riding. Otherwise, it's nothing special."

"Nothing sp-!" Eun closed his eyes and staggered forward onto Prince Jung, who didn't seem to mind being used as his half-brother's personal stand.

Hajin - no, Hae Soo - listened to Eun and Soon Deok bicker with a wide grin on her face. Even though they still argued, there was something else between them now that definitely wasn't there before. She smiled. Thinking of Beauty and the Beast made her want to break into song, but then she saw that General Park had come in with Prince So and the regal lady from the night before, and she got up to greet them, turning especially to the lady to thank her for her care and attention.

The lady merely nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"She was one of our father's most trusted subjects and used to hold the highest position at the palace Damiwon," Baek Ah introduced. "Soo-yah, this is Lady Oh Sooyeon. Sanggung, this is Hae Soo, our sister-in-law's cousin."

"Oh, it's lovely to meet you, Sanggung," Haj- Hae Soo said with the brightest, warmest smile she could muster.

But instead of acknowledging the greeting, Lady Oh said something that made Soo flush from embarrassment. "Indeed. Most people would kowtow after being saved from sure death, but I suppose it's too much to expect the same courtesy from everyone nowadays."

Soo saw Prince So's smirk and bristled. Getting off her bench, she faced Lady Oh squarely and bowed as low as she could. "Please pardon my lack of manners."

"No matter," Lady Oh said with a flick of her eyebrow. "Manners are taught, after all, and as I'm told you've lost your memories, it seems befitting that you would lose other things as well." She turned and left to discuss more matters with General Park. Evidently, Soo had been dismissed.

Sitting back down, she tried not to look too pitiful, but the others were sympathetic, telling her not to worry about it and that Lady Oh treated everyone much the same way.

"People believe she's our father's first love," Eun whispered. "Baek Ah here will tell you she was his _only_ love." At these words, he rolled his eyes, and Baek Ah hissed at him.

"Hyung-nim… that's what everyone says," he clarified, shaking his head.

"Please, he has over 20 consorts and children. He couldn't have just loved _one_ woman all his life, not after all of us."

Soon Deok looked up from her breakfast and stared at her husband. "Why, is love a prerequisite to all marriages? Does love happen just because you want it to?" She shook her head and mumbled something under her breath that reached no one's ears but her own.

While Eun and Soon Deok began to argue again, Jung looked at Soo. "She was dismissed as senior court lady after our father's death, that's why she's here. This is her hometown. She and our father first met somewhere near here when they were younger… she was just a farmer's daughter then, while he was a general."

"But if your father loved her so much… why did he not marry her? She's not a royal consort, is she, if she was dismissed just like that?" Soo asked in a low voice.

It was her cousin who answered, "Queens must use their family's strengths to support their king. That's why King Taejo managed to rule for so long. Lady Oh's family just wasn't powerful enough."

 _What kind of a reason was that?_ Soo thought indignantly. "That's silly. If two people love each other, they should be allowed to marry. Since the king already had consorts with power to aid him, why not take one who didn't?"

"It's not so simple, Soo-yah," Baek Ah shook his head, "matches between the aristocracy are always planned and almost always political in nature. One cannot marry another who is below or above her station. It's not fitting."

"Pah!" Soo grumbled her disapproval, "Prince this and prince that, noble this and noble that. Just you guys wait… in a thousand years, no one will be above anyone else. Everyone will be equal in the eyes of the law and-"

Before she could finish, Prince So shoved a large piece of rice cake into her mouth. "That's treason."

Soo wanted to yell at him to come back so she could give him a piece of her mind, but she was too busy choking.

Hastily, Myunghee handed her a glass of water. "Prince So is right, though, you shouldn't say things like that."

"I…" Soo wheezed, "I thought this was friendly territory."

"Friendlier than most…" Jung agreed, looking serious, "but no place is completely safe anymore."

* * *

 **Surprise! Another character still alive! But for how long? *wriggle eyebrows***

 **Ok, not much parallel between Outlander and MLSHR in this chapter, so I'll just take this time to say I'm sorry for the late update! I've been busy with work and haven't found the time to finish this chapter until now.**

 **Also, I am definitely still continuing with my EPILOGUE fic. I'm not done with it, but I didn't want to lose my train of thought for this story, so I'm taking a break from it... for now hehe but I will try to write the next chapter for it when I can! I've just been really busy lately. orz**

 **Thank you for reading and do let me know what you think! ^^**

 **Also, details in this fic are important :D there'll be some familiar lines and themes in the later chapters. Happy reading!**


	9. Majesty

In this chapter:

 _"It worked, didn't it?" So scoffed when Soo confronted him about it while she watched him prepare the horses and the monks' lone carriage. It was old, small, and creaking at parts, but So said it would do for their purpose and Soo decided to take his word for it._

* * *

"The weather is nice today, isn't it?" Soo remarked, dropping her knitting implements and getting up to stretch. Myunghee had spent all morning trying to teach both Soon Deok and Soo how to knit, to general unsuccess.

Soon Deok, who had been seconds away from completely dozing off, straightened up with a start and blinked around. They were sitting atop a small hill overlooking a field of blood red poppies, surrounded by woodland on all sides but behind, where the fortress was. "Yes, perfect weather to go hunting."

Myunghee gave them a few minutes to slack off before calling them back. "We need to make as many of these as we can, while we can," she repeated firmly for the nth time. "The days are getting colder which means the monks will begin their winter retreat soon. We have to be back on the road before then."

"Unnie," Soon Deok cried, getting on her knees to beg, "I can't do any more, I have the attention span of a sparrow."

Myunghee sighed. "That's because you're not trying hard enough. If you can spend hours lying in wait during a hunt, you can very well spend an hour or two working on these! Now get back to work… the _both_ of you."

With identical pouts, Soo and Soon Deok sat back down.

They had been staying at Taehung a little over a week now, and while the men spent hours plotting their next move, the women took to making winter clothes and gathering supplies for their continued journey north.

Thinking they would need to eat something sooner or later, Soo got up and declared she was going to the kitchens, upon which Myunghee sighed resignedly and said they would all go.

"My kitchen has become much livelier with you young ones around," the elderly kitchen master chuckled, watching Soo's attempts at the firepit with great amusement. "Used to be just me and the young boy cooking for everybody. He doesn't talk much. When he first came here, he hardly talked at all. I thought he was mute."

"May I help you, my lady?" the young boy offered, hovering nervously over Soo's shoulder.

Soo held up a hand. "I can do this."

Myunghee sighed and bowed to the kitchen master. "I thank you again for accommodating us on such short notice, master, and we're very sorry for the inconvenience our presence has brought all of you here."

Master Ok Tae Hyung waved away her apology. "We made a vow to do no harm, and strongly reject the violent, harsh policies of King Jeongjong. We only wish we can do more to help you."

"You already risk much just for giving us shelter. We cannot ask for more than that."

Just then, a triumphant voice rang through the entire kitchen, "I did it!" Soo emerged, blackened with soot and sweating from her efforts, but smiling happily at her success. Myunghee had to smile.

"Good. Now, take the tray on the shelf behind you and deliver it to sanggung," she ordered, to Soo's discomfort.

"I'll do it," Soon Deok offered quickly, taking the tray, but Myunghee was adamant.

"Soo-yah, Oh sanggung is a wonderful lady and you have a debt to settle with her. Remember that she saved your life."

"Unnie," it was Soo's turn to beg on bent knees and clasped hands, "I've tried my best… gave her my best dumplings, my best cakes, my best foot warmers… but she's so scary. She criticizes everything I do and is always punishing me." At her cousin's withering stare, however, Soo wished she hadn't spoken at all. Shrinking away, she mumbled, "Yes, unnie." and got up.

Walking through the narrow walkways, past the modest dwellings within the fortress, Soo sighed. She always dreaded her meetings with Court Lady Oh. It wasn't really that the woman was strict, blunt and constantly punishing Soo, but rather the fact that she expected too much. She expected Soo to know how to read and write Hanja, how to behave and speak in a more ladylike manner, and know about and how to do things that 21st century Hajin had never even been exposed to.

With every meeting, she worried sanggung might find out her secret and tell everyone the truth… that she was not, in fact, 19-year-old Hae Soo, but an imposter from the future. Soo was sure sanggung hadn't believed her when she'd said she'd lost all her abilities when she lost her memories.

Just thinking about the situation made Soo's head spin. She never liked science fiction… and now here she was, actually living it. She should've paid more attention to the time travel movies her ex liked to watch.

"Okay, breathe, everything's fine," she told herself firmly, "back straight, delicate steps, stern expression. Everything she is, everything you aren't. Unlearn, relearn. You can do this, no problem." _At least,_ she thought glumly to herself, _she hasn't told anyone about you being illiterate._

So deep in her thoughts, Soo almost didn't see Prince So until it was too late. Almost.

With a yelp, she stumbled to a halt, and with lightning-fast reflexes, Prince So caught her tea tray and pulled her upright.

He had a knack for doing this - appearing when least expected, scaring her out of her wits, but then catching her before she could fall and fully embarrass herself. "I'd tell you to be more careful, but caution doesn't seem to want to stick with you," said he with an amused glint in his eyes.

She straightened up at once and retook her tray. "Thank you. I'd tell you to stop startling me, but the word 'stop' doesn't seem to be in your dictionary," said she coldly, sidestepping him and rounding the corner to sanggung's quarters.

 _Di- dic-... what?_

Confused, Prince So could only watch as she walked stiffly but briskly away. He shook his head and began to head in the opposite direction, but then a crash and a scream made him turn around to find Soo hunched in panic over Oh sanggung's unconscious body. She had dropped the teapot she had been carrying, tea now soaking the ground on which it lay broken beyond repair.

"What happened?" he demanded, reaching them in a few strides and inspecting Lady Oh for any signs of external wounds. Finding none, he nonetheless glanced around in search of a lingering assassin, or traces of one.

"I found her like this." Soo shook as she felt sanggung's breath and pulse. "She's alive, but… she's not responding. I can't tell what's wrong with her, if she passed out from exhaustion or if it's something more serious…"

Seeing no sign of danger, no footprints, no misplaced objects, So turned his attention to the two women. "Let's bring her in. I'll call for Master Ok as he shares sanggung's knowledge of illnesses and cures. He'll know what to do."

Together, they laid sanggung gently on her bed and made sure she was comfortable.

Soo puzzled over the situation, too caught up in what-ifs to notice the prince leaving. If exhaustion had caused this, she couldn't think what sanggung could have been doing to make her pass out… but if it was an illness…

She thought back to the past week. Though there were times when she noticed sanggung sweating despite the generally cool weather, she hadn't really thought much of it as the older woman had always been sharp, spry and strong. But now Soo considered the fact that sanggung was knowledgeable on herbs… could she have been masking a terminal illness this whole time?

When she heard a cough, Soo sat up straight to see that sanggung had opened her eyes and was blinking blearily around the room. "What happened? Why am I here?" she asked weakly, trying to sit up.

Soo laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We found you outside your room and brought you in… you were unconscious. Fourth Prince is fetching the kitchen master right now to look you over."

Hearing this, Sanggung laid back down and sighed, resigned. "There's no need. He can't help. No one can."

Soo had guessed as much. Though uninvited to do so, she sat on the edge of the bed. "You're sick- no… you're dying, aren't you?" she asked softly.

Sanggung made no reply, but that was all the confirmation Soo needed.

"What-?"

"Cancer," the reply came before the question could be said, "before I left the palace, the royal doctor told me I had stomach cancer. That's why King Hyejong allowed me to retire… and why I'm here."

 _To find a cure?_ Soo thought, herself wondering what she could do using her knowledge of 21st century medicine. She thought hard but nothing useful came to mind. If sanggung really was dying, then there wasn't much she could really do with the technology and supplies available, except to make sure she was comfortable.

"That's why you threw away the dumplings and cakes I made you…" Soo said softly. "Since when have you been unable to ingest dry food?"

Sanggung actually smiled. "You do know a lot more than you let on. It's been weeks since I had a proper meal." Seeing Soo's teary eyes, she hardened her features. "Your pity is the last thing I want. I do not wish for this information to leave this room, do we have an understanding?"

Soo merely nodded. Sighing in a low voice, sanggung said, "It is not for the young to dwell on death. You have an entire future ahead of you. There should your thoughts be."

Outside the room some time later, Soo was surprised to see Prince So silently waiting for her.

She took him by the arm and dragged him away. "Did you hear all that?"

"Yes."

Exasperated, she crossed her arms. "She doesn't want you or any of the others to know. How could you eavesdrop like that? I thought you were going to fetch the kitchen master!"

"A young apprentice passed by and I ordered him to do it instead. When I returned, you were already deep in conversation."

"And instead of doing the decent thing and walking away, you decided it was better to stay and listen."

"She wants to go to him, does she not?" It was a rhetorical question. "My father's grave is three miles from here. Unless you were planning on walking there, you're going to need a ride and an escort."

Soo stared. Was he actually volunteering to go with them? She'd be lying if she said she didn't need his help… because they both knew she was abysmal at horseback riding, had no idea at all how to drive a carriage, and was possibly even more helpless at defending herself.

' _Is there anything I can do for you, sanggung?'_

' _I… want to see him.'_

If this was sanggung's dying wish, Soo had to see it through.

Her silence amused Prince So. "Do you even know the way?" The answer was no, as he very well knew. He smirked and turned to leave. "Inform me of the time and day in advance so I can think of a way to divert my brothers' attentions."

"Wait!" Soo called after him. "Does that mean you're not going to tell them? About…?"

She wondered if his shake of the head meant yes. She thought it did.

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

The diversion, as Soo found out three days later, was simple enough… pointing out the fact that, apart from putting the monks and their students in danger just for secretly harboring a band of fugitives, the fourth prince also mentioned that they were staying for free at the fortress, without maids to do their laundry, cook their food, clean their rooms, feed their horses.

"I want your rooms spotless by sundown," So declared, to uniform gasps of horror from his younger brothers. "The person with the dirtiest room can choose to either clean the stables tomorrow… or face me one-on-one."

"It worked, didn't it?" So scoffed when Soo confronted him about it while she watched him prepare the horses and the monks' lone carriage. It was old, small, and creaking at parts, but So said it would do for their purpose and Soo decided to take his word for it.

"I just thought your grand plan would be a little more… grand," she teased, chuckling at the memory of a panicking Eun rushing about in search of his 'dutiful wife' for help.

So rolled his eyes. "Next time, how about you plan while I judge?"

"I didn't say your plan was bad. In fact, I was impressed by how simple and effective it was!"

He gave her a dour look. "Right. Make yourself useful. Go fetch sanggung."

The weather was overcast when they left. Leaning against the carriage frame, Soo watched as thick grey clouds rolled slowly but steadily over the vast rice plains that lined the dirt road they were on. The cool breeze felt good against her skin, and as fresh air filled her lungs, Soo realized that though this era had poor toilets, no electricity, wi-fi nor hot showers, that it nonetheless had a charm of its own. She realized that she might be stuck in this land forever, but maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Neither of them talked, not until they neared the burial site of Taejo Wang Geon, Goryeo's first king. Soo knew they had arrived when the horses slowed and eventually halted in front of a long, wide path paved with rectangular slabs of white stone that ended at an even wider staircase fronting the mausoleum. On this rested a large dome covered in withered, red and brown grass, matching the colors of the magnificent trees that surrounded the area, and on every corner stood the banners of Goryeo.

The entire place was deserted, eerily silent, the only sound the rustling of leaves as they swayed in the wind and scraped the ground by their feet, but Soo could feel it… a kind of power, majesty in the air. Standing there, she could almost see the day this man was buried - the armies of men gathering on the fields, behind the powerful families that controlled them, the masses of commoners come to pay their own respects from a distance. She could hear the drums, the marching of thousands of feet. She could even see all the princes in their white robes, leading the ceremony. She had stood here with the professor once… but the presence of this time felt stronger, nearer, fearsome.

Soo stayed behind with So, choosing to watch from a respectful distance as Lady Oh made her way towards the top of the stairs and began paying her respects.

Watching Lady Oh prepare and offer her king's favorite tea made Soo feel like they were intruding on something private and oddly intimate and, taking So's arm, decided they ought to admire the scenery in the opposite direction instead.

She had nothing in particular that she wanted to discuss with the prince, so she kept quiet, thinking that's what he wanted… only he surprised her by asking, "What did you lose?"

"Pardon?"

"Before you passed out on our way to Taehung… it looked like you had lost something valuable."

Since losing her father's knife, Soo had tried her best not to dwell on it. Indeed, she spent most of her time pretending she'd never lost it in the first place.

"Just a little something that my father gave me before he d-died," she replied, trying to sound casual but unable to ignore the fresh tears that sprung to her eyes at the last word. "I… I think I lost it the night you pulled me out of the water. I was holding it, you see, when I… you know, drowned." Knowing it was dangerous to mention such a modern item, but failing to quench the bit of hope that rose inside her, she looked up at him and said, "When you got me… did you maybe see or feel a knife drop into the water?"

He looked puzzled. "Like the one strapped to your leg?"

"No," she replied, "it was much, much smaller and… probably not something you've ever seen before. It's unique."

To her dismay, he shook his head. "I was too busy rescuing you to notice much else."

Until that moment, she had no idea just how much she had hoped that Prince So would have it. Hearing that he didn't felt like losing it all over again.

"Was it… very important?" he asked tentatively, seeing her nose redden in her attempts to suppress a sob. Instead of answering, however, she surprised him by switching topics. Her voice was thick with unshed tears, but her words were clear, "Why did you volunteer to help sanggung?"

He didn't know what to make of this question. Did he really seem so heartless? So detached from normal human emotion? Or was it that...

"Would you rather it was someone else here with you?"

"No, it's just… I didn't think you cared about such things. You don't strike me as being a sentimental person."

He knew he should feel offended by this poor observation of his character, but, somehow, he didn't. Still, he snarled and rapped her forehead with his knuckles, making her gasp in pain. "You are a medical woman. By concept of yin and yang, you should believe in balance, that people by nature possess both good and bad traits. I have enemies, I don't deny it… but I have friends, too."

Soo was intrigued. "But I don't see the world in black and white, I see it in shades of gray. I believe that anything can happen… that no matter how hard you try to do good, one way or another, you'll end up making mistakes, some mistakes more wrong than others." She looked up at him and it amazed him how honest her eyes were, how open. In those eyes, he felt he could read her entire life's story, and more, if he only looked hard enough. If she'd let him. "Mistakes can be rectified and wrongs can be forgiven. I believe in second chances… if the person is deserving."

"And murder?" he asked, wondering how she felt about the subject. "If I were to murder a dozen people right now, would you still think I deserve forgiveness?"

She was silent for a while, but eventually she said, "I suppose that depends… will you be murdering them for fun?" The question gave him pause and he watched, thoughtfully, as she turned her body to face him. She thought she knew what he was thinking… she felt she had to steer his thoughts in the right direction. If she could prevent this man from becoming a mass murderer, she would do it. "I don't believe in status, wealth, and titles, wangja-nim. You may become a King of Goryeo and I remain a lowly servant girl, but your life will never be above mine, neither will mine be below yours. All life is sacred. If possible… I hope you can think twice before drawing your sword against other people… the sword is more than a murder weapon, it is a tool to protect what's important, is it not?"

' _I taught you to fight so you can protect, not aimlessly kill.'_

' _I stopped the royal family from turning on each other. In doing so, I protected the nation.'_

The recollection came naturally, making him smirk as he looked away into the distance at the gathering storm. They would have to leave soon. "Unfortunately, hunting becomes your only option when you're constantly being hunted."

Soo wondered what he meant by that. Surely he didn't mean it literally? He's a prince of a powerful nation, himself powerful, smart and strong. Maybe now that they're fugitives… but Soo felt somehow that he didn't mean the present.

She wondered again how he had really gotten his scar.

"In this land, the more you have to protect, the more you have to kill." He looked at her, dark eyes serious, stormy as the swirling skies. "That's the truth, Lady Soo."

What did she have to protect?

Soo contemplated on the prince's words as she and Lady Oh sat in the carriage and waited for him to finish paying his respects to his late father.

She had no family left in the 21st century to speak of, no real friends save her uncle's old colleagues… but in this time…

She found herself staring into the distance at the prince's broad back and blinked.

In this time, she had friends… she was a sister, a cousin. To Lady Oh, she had become a confidant. She was needed, but what was her purpose? Why was she brought here in the first place?

She looked at Lady Oh and realized she could heal. She looked at Prince So and realized she could help in other ways.

Whatever her role may be… she decided she would make herself useful.

At the foot of his father's tomb, Prince So stood, clutching a tiny object in his hand. A knife, she'd said. He had been trying to figure it out since he got it, and now that he knew what it was, he looked it over again and tugged at the metal within. The first time he had done this, a strange, twisted, tiny rod sprung out and caused him to drop the whole thing in shock. This time, however, instead of the twisted rod came a tiny knife… then a tiny pair of scissors, and three other things that he had no names for.

He puzzled over the contraption. He had never seen anything like it in all of his travels.

Walking back towards the two women, he was surprised to see Soo smiling at him. A strange woman, one he didn't know could be trusted… but found himself trusting anyway.

He hoped his father had been listening earlier. Too many people depended on him to do the right thing, but until recently, he had never had to worry about anyone other than himself.

"Can I protect them all?" he had asked, wondering if he could succeed where his own father had failed. All he got in answer was a rustle of leaves, and a drizzle of rain.

* * *

 _Soooo sorry for the late update! :(  
We had an event at work that ended just last week and it took up most of my time and energy. Honestly, I've been rather depressed for some reason... maybe hormones lol I keep listening to all kinds of music, hoping to spark some kind of inspiration to write something but nothing worked for very long... so I wrote that little anniversary gift and decided to wait until I was rested enough to continue with this and epilogue hehehe_

 _Speaking of epilogue, I'll try to update within the week, too! Thank you to everyone still reading and dropping the occasional comment. They mean a lot and remind me that I still have readers :)_

 _Have a great week, everyone!_


	10. Uncertain

In this chapter:

 _She was so busy learning how to knit, embroider, mend, cook, and do other womanly trades with Myunghee, how to read and write hanja with Baek Ah, and how to be a proper lady from Sanggung that she no longer had energy left to spare to contemplate on the near and distant future… not until it finally became time for them to leave._

* * *

Though Soo had been forbidden to tell anyone of Lady Oh's affliction, it didn't stop her from trying to help. Right after they had returned from King Taejo's tomb, it had started to rain, keeping them all trapped inside until sunrise the next day, when Soo decided to cook some pine porridge after discovering the ground littered with pine cones that had fallen due to the strong winds.

"Sanggung?" she whispered from outside the closed wooden doors. "Are you awake?"

A cough told her she was. "I'm coming in." She closed the door as quietly as she could behind her and made her way to the futon. She laid the tray on the sheets and uncovered the dishes, hoping the porridge smelled appetizing. "Sanggung… it's almost noon. You should eat something."

Lady Oh turned half-lidded eyes on her, but she didn't look interested in the food. "Were you the one who put hot stones under my sheets?"

Soo fidgeted guiltily. She had tried to find the flattest stones possible so as not to cause discomfort, but the strong rain had significantly limited her choices.

Lady Oh watched the silent young girl. She had spent decades serving her king and others of rank… to suddenly be served felt very strange to her, especially by someone she's only known a few weeks and whom she hasn't treated all that well. She cleared her throat, "Thank you. I'm alright now, so leave it and go."

To her surprise, Soo shook her head and smiled. "I'm going to stay until you've finished it all."

Lady Oh had never had anyone disobey a direct order from her before. "You… don't be stubborn. I told you to leave."

"I know why you threw away all the food I gave you. It's not because you didn't want to eat them, but because you couldn't. I spent three hours grinding these pine nuts, so you can eat it without any problem." Soo took a spoonful and brought it closer to Lady Oh's lips. "You need to keep up your strength if you don't want the princes to know about your condition."

She knew she had struck a chord but Lady Oh remained impassive. Seeing this, Soo grimaced theatrically and flexed her shoulder. "Aigoo, my arm hurts so much from shelling and grinding all those pine nuts!" The monks' pestle was as long as her arm and almost as heavy as a sack of rice. Lady Oh knew this. She wondered how such a tiny girl could have possibly managed to use it without breaking any bones… then she realized that was probably why three hours of work had only managed to produce half a bowl of porridge. Her eyes flickered towards Soo's tired arms, something the latter was quick to notice.

"Sanggung, I know what it's like to want to be independent… I'm like that, too - I don't want to inconvenience other people with my problems. But you should know that there will always be people who will genuinely want to help. In moments like this, when you feel like all your strength has gone, it's ok to rely on others."

She lifted the spoon invitingly. "I'll lend you my strength while I can, if you'll let me."

With neither will nor reason to keep refusing, Lady Oh finally opened her mouth. The taste was so strong, she had to force herself to swallow, and then, glancing covertly at Soo from behind her hand, she wheezed, "This is porridge?"

Soo had never made porridge from scratch before and realized belatedly that she should have tasted it before feeding it to sanggung. To her pleasant surprise, however, Lady Oh actually smiled - a small smile but a smile nonetheless - and took the bowl from her. "I'm no longer used to strong flavors," she explained.

"Oh," Soo understood and got up at once. "Then, I'll make you some tea." She checked the kettle and found it to be full of hot water. An apprentice had probably filled it in time for lunch. Beside the kettle, she found everything else she needed. She picked some lavender and chrysanthemum and got to work.

Lady Oh watched her, noting that though she did know the basics of tea making, she did not know how to carry herself and thus worked clumsily. She didn't know how this young woman had managed to lose all her memories and etiquette, but decided that since she was being stubborn about sticking to her that she might as well teach her a few things.

"Raise your elbows."

Surprised, Soo looked back. "Sanggung?"

"Your elbows," she repeated, "raise them. Higher. Keep them away from your body. Relax your shoulders. Try not to move your wrists too much."

Soo tried her best to comply, hoping, as she handed over the cup, that she had done enough to avoid a lengthy sermon. Thankfully, sanggung seemed satisfied with the tea as she sipped.

"Your knowledge is extensive but your form is wrong. You'll need to work on your posture."

"Yes, sanggung."

"Since we'll be spending quite some time together, I've decided we might as well make the most of it." Lady Oh gave her an appraising look. "I usually expect my trainees to be up before sundown and I shall expect no less from you. You must come with fresh water. The monks get theirs from a spring west of the fortress. It is a small but deep well sheltered by shrubbery. You may ask an apprentice to take you there later. Now, before you leave…"

As she turned to pluck some books off a shelf by her headboard, Soo stammered, "Wait, what are you say-"

"I want you to read these books as well." Lady Oh plopped three thick, dusty volumes of Soo-can't-read-what-it-says-on-the-covers onto Soo's arms before she could register what was happening.

"Sanggung!" she coughed and snorted away the dust. "What's happening?"

Lady Oh raised her eyebrows. "You are a daughter of the noble Hae clan. Certain proprieties are expected of you which you currently do not possess. With the way things are, no family will want you for a daughter."

Soo's jaw dropped. She's being prepared for marriage? She took a closer look at one of the books and saw to her horror that the reason she couldn't read them was not because they were dusty and tattered… but because they were written in hanja rather than hangul.

But of course… hangul would be invented much later during the Joseon era. Why had she never thought of this before? In this time, she was completely illiterate.

A choice now lay before her: lie through her teeth and pretend to know how to read, or come clean and look even more suspicious than she already was. After all, what kind of noble didn't know how to read?

She decided on the truth since there was no way around the fact. "Sanggung, I actually can't-"

"Sure you can, I'm sure Lady Hae will understand. I've finished the porridge and wish to rest."

"But sanggung, I-"

"I shall see you this evening."

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

"I give up! I can't read it. It's impossible," she wailed. Soo was to be found that afternoon stretched lazily over the floor outside her room, calligraphy brush in hand, sheets of new hanji by her head, and Lady Oh's books spread open around her. "Why didn't I learn Chinese characters when I had the chance?" she mumbled, remembering her school days. Her school had offered a semester of hanja, but she had forgone it in favor of advanced English. Now she desperately wished she had taken the former instead.

"What's this?" a familiar deep voice laughed from above her.

Soo sat up quickly and came face to face with the Thirteenth Prince, who eyed her poor attempts with amusement. "By chance… are you illiterate?"

She crumpled up her used sheets and eyed him sheepishly. "I think I forgot how to read and write when I hit my head." It was a lame excuse and she was not surprised when the young prince laughed at her. She _was_ surprised when he sat with her and took her brush.

"Big 大, red 红, fruit 果," he wrote, his strokes fine and elegant, making her attempts look downright - there's no other word for them - kindergarten. He smiled at her. "It also goes by the name 山楂. Literally, the mountain hawthorn."

"Oh," she said, eyes lighting up in recognition. "Good for the heart."

"But why are you learning these? You should start from the basics." He unfurled one crumpled up sheet of hanji and laughed. "Yah, at least we can be sure of one thing from your forgotten past: you were not a good student. Your writing is terrible."

Soo looked up, saw him laughing at her mistakes, and hastily swiped them from his grasp. "Yes, well, I've never really enjoyed studying. Why are you here, anyway?"

Baek Ah sat back against the wall of her room and took out a pad of hanji. "My 10th and 14th brothers are both being punished at the stables. Jung wasn't able to tidy up his room satisfactorily enough, and our 10th brother was told he was disqualified for letting his injured wife clean up after him," he replied, staring up at the sky. "Besides… it'll be sunset soon. The view from here is the best."

Soo watched, curious, as he took out brushes and paints from the pouch he was carrying. She stopped studying to watch him work. Baek Ah was silent the whole time, completely engrossed in what he was doing. He captured the colors of the late afternoon sky behind clusters of leaves perfectly.

"I had no idea you were an artist," she said, returning from within her room with a candle in hand to light their darkening surroundings. Night came much faster nowadays. She was awestruck, gazing at his work.

He smirked and set it aside. "Most of my brothers are fighters… Eunnie-hyungnim and I are the only ones who didn't inherit the fighting prowess of our father." He looked thoughtful as he twirled the brush between his fingers. "My people have always valued the arts. I inherited my mother's artistic sense instead."

Soo frowned and prodded, " _Your_ people?"

He looked at her and smiled. "My mother is a princess of Silla. After Silla was annexed by Goryeo, my father married my mother and allowed her and her family to keep their titles as royals. I'm the result of that union."

Soo's mouth formed an 'oh', finally remembering who this prince was. One day, in the very distant future, he would end up marrying his 8th brother's daughter.

 _What a complicated family,_ Soo thought with a dour shake of the head.

"But of course you, being you, wouldn't know that," Baek Ah chuckled good-naturedly, making Soo frown indignantly at him. "Ah, I shouldn't have told you about my mother's family. It was good having someone to talk to who didn't judge me based on the past."

"Why would people judge you based on the past? It's not even _your_ past," she grumbled, a little sour at his condescension, but still curious enough not to drop the subject.

Though the prince smiled, it held no trace of humor, only bitterness. "War is messy. Many lives were lost both from Goryeo and Silla, and even though we lived in peace during my father's reign, it wasn't enough to completely wipe out past grudges, even amongst my brothers."

That surprised her. Baek Ah always seemed to get along with his brothers. She had no idea there were grudges between them.

Seeing her surprised look, Baek Ah immediately corrected, "Not with them… with the brothers we're running away from. Our third brother likes to exploit weakness. Our ninth brother is only good to those who can benefit him. I have a lot of weaknesses and my family is poor and holds no power. I'm right down there with my fourth brother in their list of people to bully."

"Your _fourth_ brother?" This surprised Soo even more. The fourth prince - intelligent, strong, the leader of the group… weak and useless?

"My fourth brother has a dark and complicated past," Baek Ah explained and began packing up his things. "If you want to, you may ask him about it. Good luck."

"I think it might be easier to ask a fish to walk."

Baek Ah chuckled at the analogy and got up, "That's why… good luck."

Soo sat there, full of questions about this mess of a family.

A few days ago, while on her way out to forage for some berries, she had come across something that she was sure would get her in trouble if anyone knew… she had overheard General Park whispering instructions to a messenger right outside the gates of the fortress. She had heard him telling the messenger to hasten to deliver a scroll to 'their king', and to tell him that they would be leaving the fortress in a week at least, two weeks at most.

Soo doubted General Park was messaging King Jeongjong, who had imprisoned and sent assassins to murder his only daughter, Soon Deok, something they had very nearly accomplished were it not for Soo's timely intervention.

So then, who had the message been for?

She had just seen the tomb of King Taejo, had witnessed Lady Oh and Prince So paying tribute to his spirit. That left only one possibility.. the second king, Hyejong.

Could King Hyejong indeed still be alive and doing his best to undermine King Jeongjong, who had forced him out of the throne and into hiding? If she's right then that means the brothers are effectively divided into the fourth, tenth, thirteenth and fourteenth, who are loyal to the second king, against the eighth and ninth, who are loyal to the third.

Things were pretty simple and straightforward up to that point, and yet… she was pretty sure the fourth king, Gwangjong, or Prince So as everyone currently knew him, had ascended the throne in the year 949 at the age of 25. That's three years from now. The question is… if Prince So is indeed loyal to King Hyejong and is fighting to return him to his seat… then how did Gwangjong become king so fast… and why?

"Aren't you coming?" Baek Ah asked suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Where?" she asked blankly.

"Dinner," he replied, gesturing towards the inner compound. "Or are you in training to be a monk and skipping dinner from now on?"

Shaking her head, she packed her things away and closed her room, then she joined him on the ground. They walked in silence, through walkways covered in shingles, and gardens paved with river stones. Everything is silent in the aftermath of the twilight, the birds having begun their migration to warmer places, but Soo didn't mind. She found the silence and the stillness beautiful. It's not often she got to experience such tranquility, especially in the hustle and bustle of the 21st century.

It's as they're nearing the dining hall that Baek Ah finally spoke again. "I can teach you, if you'd like."

"Huh?"

"How to read and write. We have a week or two left before we need to move again and I need something to help pass the time. I'll teach you."

"Would you?" she squealed in excitement, then cleared her throat when he laughed. "I mean… that would be wonderful! Thank you!"

* * *

. . . . .

* * *

Soo spent the next few days caught in between three teachers: Lady Oh, who took up most of her early mornings and evenings, Myunghee, who took up most of her afternoons, and Baek Ah, who took up the rest of her free time.

She was so busy learning how to knit, embroider, mend, cook, and do other womanly trades with Myunghee, how to read and write hanja with Baek Ah, and how to be a proper lady from Sanggung that she no longer had energy left to spare to contemplate on the near and distant future… not until it finally became time for them to leave.

Soo hovered nervously over Sanggung's shoulder, wondering if she had gotten everything right. She had just spent two hours in a nearby village market, purchasing food and medicinal items that sanggung had listed down on a sheet of paper.

"You mistook yam for hawthorn again. Take note that though they may have the same first character, their second characters have very different meanings," Sanggung said sternly, making Soo scowl at herself. She knew she had gotten something wrong. "Reread the second volume and go fetch me more water."

"Yes, sanggung," Soo mumbled, picking up a clay jug.

Sanggung whacked her hand with a reed.

"Ouch!"

"Don't slouch. Grace and poise, Soo-yah!"

"Yes!" she chirped at once, straightening up and leaving the kitchen.

"Smaller steps! Don't run! You are a lady, not a common serving maid!"

Soo forced herself to slow down and take little steps, trying not to be too self-conscious as she rounded the corner and left through the gate.

Myunghee chuckled. "Thank you, Sanggung, for your patience."

Lady Oh flicked an eyebrow and sighed, but she shrugged. "Your young cousin is very talented, Lady Hae. It's too bad she is very uncultured."

Myunghee felt bad about admitting it, but she couldn't deny it either. "I don't know what happened. She used to be such a dutiful, good girl. That someone could unlearn a lifetime of teachings after one accident is a scary thought. I still don't know what could have happened to her." She turned back to the table and resumed cutting up vegetables for their evening meal.

She thought back to the day Soo had gone missing. It had been a cool autumn evening some years ago. Eighth Prince Wook had been summoned to the palace to prepare for the Exorcism Ritual that would be held the next day and had not yet returned for dinner. Wanting company, Myunghee had ordered her cousin's maid, Chaeryung, to fetch her from her room, only to be informed almost an hour later that Soo was missing and nowhere to be found within the residence.

 _"Have you checked the gardens? The library?" Myunghee asked crisply, heading out into the cold._

 _"My lady, your health! The doctor said that-!" Chaeryung gasped, grabbing Lady Hae's thick fur coat and running to catch up._

 _"I want all the servants gathered in the main hall at once," Lady Hae ordered, shrugging into the coat._

She had interrogated them all, but could glean no information as to Soo's whereabouts. How could no one in the entire household not know what Soo had been up to, nor where she had spent her time that day?

But then a maid had volunteered the information… that Soo had been secretly seeing a man the past few months and had probably run off with him. Another had agreed, but didn't think Soo would elope as the man had been of noble birth and would therefore have been free to marry her.

 _"Who?" Myunghee asked in disbelief._

 _"We do not know, Lady Hae, we never saw his face," the maid replied. "But we sometimes saw them in the temple at night, heard them talking and…" she and her companion exchanged glances._

 _"And what?" Myunghee's question had come out in a whisper. She thought she knew what they were going to say… but she couldn't believe it. Not her cousin. Not the good, young girl she had nurtured and cared for since the deaths of her uncle and aunt._

 _"Well, as I say… I think they ran off together."_

 _"We cleaned her room, washed her clothes, mistress," the other said, looking uncomfortable, "and… we noticed that she had stopped bleeding. So we assumed that-"_

 _"Impossible," Myunghee expostulated, "I don't want to hear any more of this gossip! Guards, search the nearby forest! Everyone else, search the entire residence. No one is to rest until we find her. Chaeryung, I will write a message to my husband. Come with me to the library."_

 _But Prince Wook had arrived at that moment and asked what all the flurry was about._

 _"Soo is missing," Myunghee said at once, rushing up to intercept him._

 _"What?" The prince paled, glancing around as though hoping the lady would somehow show herself. "Wife, what do you mean? Did someone take her?"_

 _"The last time anyone saw her was after lunch today, in her room. No one knows where she is. Husband, will you help us search?"_

 _Her prince had summoned the help of the palace guards. They had searched the entire city, the forests, the open roads. They had searched for days, without success. Her husband had been furious, outraged that someone could have slipped into his own home and taken his wife's cousin so easily. He had ordered for their guards to be beaten to death, something that appalled Myunghee. She had never known her husband to be so cruel._

 _"We need to set an example," he had explained, stone-faced and facing forward. "We paid them to watch over the property and still, Soo went missing. Who knows what else could be taken from this household in the future if we're not careful?"_

Myunghee is pulled away from her dark memories by the sound of Soo clumsily walking in.

"The water… is here," she huffed, putting the jug down and plopping herself onto the nearest seat.

Again, Sanggung whacked her with the reed.

"Ah!" Soo gasped in pain, sitting bolt upright.

"Grace and poise!" the older woman snapped, annoyed. "Again!"

"Again?" Soo's shoulders slumped in dismay.

"Get another empty jug and fetch more water. Right now!"

Myunghee watched Soo. Did her cousin really run away that day, to be with a lover who had gotten her pregnant? If so, where was the baby now and who was the lover? And what had happened to make her lose all of her memories?

"Soo-yah… Prince So told me you saw my husband back at Lake Dongji," she said suddenly.

Soo looked at her and nodded. "Yes, unnie, I saw the eighth prince. He and Prince So battled it out, but I didn't stick around to watch."

"Did he recognize you, by chance? He should have seen your face and known who you were."

Soo shook her head. "He was more focused on Prince So, and anyway, it was dark. He probably thought I was someone else." She cleared her throat, looking sheepish, "Sanggung, I saw some ripe hawthorn berries by the well. Shall I pick some for you?"

"You've already failed your test," Sanggung reminded sternly, then smiled at Soo's disgruntled expression. "But a few berries are welcome. We can add them to the monks' morning meals."

"Okay!"

Lady Oh watched Soo skip away, too surprised by the unfamiliar word to scold and remind her to walk more slowly. "O-kay?"

Myunghee forced herself to stop thinking about the events of the past. Whatever had happened then, only Soo knew. And perhaps not knowing was for the best.

"Well, I can say this for Soo…" she said, smiling at Lady Oh, "she's a lot warmer now than she used to be."

It was at dinner that Prince So gave them the news. "We shall be leaving in three days' time. The monks will be going into retreat soon, and it'll be winter. We need to reach our destination before the first snow."

"Where will we be going, hyungnim?" Jung asked.

So and General Park exchanged glances. "We need to travel north, somewhere close to Seokyung. Sister… do you think your family will allow us to stay?"

Myunghee looked up, surprised. "My family?"

"You wanted to go home," So reminded, "that's why you helped us get Eun and Soon Deok out of the palace in the first place. We need a place to stay. What do you think? Can your clan be trusted?"

Myunghee tried to remember what her uncle, head of her clan, was like. Looking worried, she said, "I'm afraid my uncle is not the generous type. Years of dealing with Khitan and Qing have made him shrewd and skilled in negotiation. Unless you can give him something valuable…"

So nodded. He had expected as much. Since being stripped of power over the northern borders, the Haes have been struggling with their finances. The throne no longer gave them monetary support, and with Khitan and Qing fighting each other, trade with either has become much trickier.

"We can offer him gold," So said. "Will that be enough?"

"I can't say," Myunghee replied truthfully. "Maybe."

"We have no choice. The Yi clan currently in charge of patrolling the border is too loyal to King Jeongjong. He treats them well," General Park reminded So.

So was at a bind. His brother, Mu, did not trust the Haes and did not take too kindly to So's suggestion of returning them to power after they depose Yo. In that regard, he had nothing concrete to offer the Haes should the time come. He'll have to be extra mindful of his words.

"The Haes must not want Yo-hyungnim on the throne. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?" Eun said, to everyone's surprise. He did not usually provide input in such conversations.

"That's true, but it's more complicated than that, Eun-ah," So sighed.

"Then what else can we do? Since we're going that far up north, does that mean we'll be escaping to Qing?" Jung asked, looking worried.

"No. Qing is dangerous for you, princes," General Park answered.

"I have business at Seokyung," So said, "it is imperative we get the support and trust of the Haes, who know the border and the surrounding lands better than anyone. Rest easy, brothers… we'll figure it out."

Just like that, everyone nodded and resumed eating. Soo was shocked, looking at Prince So, who, despite the impassive expression, looked tense. Will they really be alright?


	11. The King and His Lady

In this chapter:

 _"I hope we can be like this forever, Sooyeon-ah," he whispered, watching the clouds drift overhead, the hawk silhouetted against the bright blue sky. "I can live like this forever."_

* * *

It was a story of two people… the son of a merchant and the daughter of a farmer.

They grew up together, played over fields and plains their families owned, swam in the stream that flowed outside the valley of their village, slept side by side under the shade of a large oak tree.

 _"I hope we can be like this forever, Sooyeon-ah,"_ he whispered, watching the clouds drift overhead, the hawk silhouetted against the bright blue sky. _"I can live like this forever."_

 _I hope so, too,_ she thought, watching him drift off to sleep with a sigh, her first love under the shade of their oak tree. _I want to live like this forever._

They stayed together until the day his family had to leave. He promised to return; she believed he would. In different cities, they grew up, apart. It would be years before they would meet again - a soldier and the daughter of a farmer.

It was on a field of daisies, on a sunny mid-summer afternoon.

 _"Many years have passed… "_ he told her, _"but I never forgot you."_

 _"Neither did I."_

They spent their days together, like the years in between had never happened, like they were children again on that field of daisies, swimming in that clear, running stream, sleeping under that old oak tree. He picked flowers for her everyday - yellow as the sun, white as the clouds drifting in the noon sky. She took care of him, gave him food and drink after a long day of work.

They spoke of life, of love, of family. They promised themselves the future.

She held onto that promise, even after he went to war, even after he became a renowned general. He still sent her letters and flowers. Occasionally. He remembered.

And so began her wait, believing time would come when they would finally be together again, even after he rose to a position too high up for her to reach.

He invited her into the palace, her new home, sent her a letter explaining his position, along with a single flower to remind her of his promise.

And she waited some more. She washed and dressed women who were to be his brides, daughters of rich families, powerful and young, everything she was not. She helped birth children who were not hers. She watched them grow - fine, healthy, strong.

And then, one day, he came to her. His second son would soon succumb to illness, said the doctors; the first of his children to pass onto the next life. Only she could help, her king said, only she could make him remember… his promise. His duty.

She comforted him. When it was just the two of them, she could pretend they were young again, just two lovers stretched out on a field of daisies on a sunny, mid-summer afternoon. She would make him his favorite tea, serve him his favorite food, give him her body to hold on nights when he felt lonely, against the world.

But that happiness came with a price - his first wife's ire. _"You are the father of my children,"_ she cried, vexed and tortured by grief, _"does your heart not bleed with mine over the loss of our son?"_

 _"The kingdom's safety comes first,"_ was his reply, _"I am a king. I do what I must."_

Unable to punish his new bride, his first wife turned to her… a mere court lady too lowly for anyone to notice, to remember. Anyone but the king. He left his quarters every night to be with her, and everyone knew. It was inevitable.

 _"Once he is born, we shall wed,"_ was his promise to his happy lady. _"The threats are neutralized, the riots subdued. Silla is ours at last. Rest, my dear. There shall be nothing in this world that shall be denied to you."_

Her wait was over. A promise long made, finally fulfilled. Or so she thought.

She bore her daughter weeks later, with perfectly formed fingers and toes, a small nose and a small mouth, and little ears on either side of a head no bigger than her mother's thumb. She had a heart that had stopped beating, lungs that never drew air, and eyes that would never open again.

 _Tea to help for the morning sickness_ , she was told. She did not know any better.

 _"Why?"_ The queen's mockery only served to accentuate her pain, _"I am his wife, a queen. I have borne him three of his finest sons. You are nothing but a court lady. Your dreams do not serve you."_

And so she stopped dreaming. She stopped waiting. He advanced her from Senior Court Lady to Head Court Lady, a position she did not want.

" _I will not let you go. We promised each other our lives."_

She could not go against a direct order from her king.

 _The palace is hard to enter but even harder to leave._ She finally understood it. She understood that she lived in a place that protected everything and everyone but the people within it. The palace, her prison.

Power is everything.

She began to live for herself, walked on thin ice, stayed away from the politics, buried her nose in volumes of ancient and modern texts. She could not help herself, but she could help others. People grew to respect her, her skill, her knowledge. She was not happy, not free, but she lived.

 _"His Majesty requests your presence,"_ the Head Eunuch announced, quietly, on an equally quiet morning.

He was weak, she knew, dying.

 _"I know you hate me."_

She made no reply.

 _"It wasn't that I forgot you. It was that I couldn't have you. The kingdom needed a leader. I was the best choice."_

She nodded, once, politely. _"I understand."_ She would not look at him; had not looked at him directly for years.

But he held her face in his palm, and her eyes naturally moved to his. She saw in them the same adoration from their youth, that same warmth that had made her believe in a promise long broken.

 _"I have grown old, weak, but you… you haven't changed at all,"_ he whispered hoarsely, _"you're still as beautiful as that field of daisies… Sooyeon-ah."_

She pulled away, got up and kept her distance. _"If His Majesty is thirsty, I will make more tea."_

Her stomach churned at the memory of that bitter tea, taken every morning upon waking, every night before rest. She had never been the same afterwards.

 _"I tried to build a world where you and I could live together in harmony, where a king could freely marry the daughter of a farmer. I thought that with enough power, I would be able to do it and no one would oppose me. I thought Silla would be enough, and when it wasn't, I set my eyes on Later Baekje… but by then you had already moved on from me."_

She returned with his tea, angry and hurt as she hadn't been in years. She thought she had moved on, but how could she? She could pretend but she could never forget. _"Nothing you did could ever replace the life I had lost."_

He sighed, turned his cup, but did not drink. _"She was not yours alone, Sooyeon-ah."_

 _"But I was the only one who fought for her,"_ her voice, low and dangerous, full of betrayal, _"you knew it was your first wife, yet you did nothing. You let her go free."_

 _"There was no proof that Queen Yoo had-"_

Sooyeon turned away. She had heard this excuse before. She would not hear it again.

 _"Innocent,"_ she spoke it softly, to the ghost of a pair of small ears that had stopped hearing a long time ago, _"She was innocent… perfect. She did not deserve to die."_

 _"I regret it more than anything."_

She looked back at him. _"Do you really?"_

 _"I regret not doing enough to protect you. I thought the queen would be satisfied with hurting So, but her anger could not be quenched."_

 _Do you regret what happened to him, too?_ she wondered silently, but her thoughts reached him.

 _"I regret it."_ His son, their daughter. To have and keep the throne, he's had to throw away many things… his family most of all. _"But I do not regret anything else."_

He did not regret not punishing his first wife.

Sooyeon steeled her heart and her face, looked down and clenched her teeth together. She would never understand.

 _"To protect the kingdom is to protect my family. That is the most I can do. It may not seem like it… but everything I have done, I have done for you and Mu."_ He closed his eyes to rest. He was tired… always so tired. The cup in his hand started to slip. She took it before it could clatter onto the floor.

She did not want to, but eventually she did see… she did understand.

 _"Oh sanggung."_ King Hyejong, resplendent in his new royal robes, came to her one day, sad and weary, but smiling. _"My father wanted you to have this."_

It was a finely made hairpin of the highest quality jade and metals. Pure white lotus flowers adorned it's head. _Rebirth. Reincarnation. A pure life._

 _"Someday, I hope you can forgive me, so that we may meet me again in the next life… Sooyeon-ah."_

 _Why did you ask to be buried there, miles away from the family you spent your whole life to protect?_ she had often wondered. Looking at the hairpin, she thought she knew.

He died without her beside him. _"Your name was the last thing he said,"_ King Hyejong told her softly. He died thinking of only her. _"You have always been like a mother to me, sanggung, even before father became king. I know how much you have wanted to leave. I know… you are not well."_

She looked at him, not quite believing her ears. Was he setting her free at long last?

He smiled and nodded. _"My brothers and I will surely miss your skills, but I will not force you to do anything against your will. Should you wish to stay, you are more than welcome to. You will receive the best care, be given the best doctors and medicines. However, should you wish to leave, know that I will do what I can to aid you."_

She had no friends, no family outside the palace, but she did not wish to stay. She wanted to go home… to where he was. She had no one else. King Hyejong informed his teachers and she was welcomed into Taehung.

She went everyday to the field of daisies that no longer bloomed, and sat for hours beneath the old oak tree that now overlooked his grave. At first she said nothing, thought of nothing and allowed the silence between them to stretch for miles. But as the years passed, she began to tell him all that had happened since his passing.

 _"News arrived this morning… your first boy has just died. Your third now sits on his throne."_ She was certain he would be displeased by the news as much as she was. Mu had been gentle, kind, peaceful. Yo was ruthless, cunning, murderous. _"He and his mother have cleared out the palace. Only their people remain. He has ordered the execution of your closest advisers and rumor has it he is searching for an excuse to kill Wang Gyu. I fear your tenth boy will not be spared from their madness. I do not think any of your other boys will be spared."_

 _Is this what you meant by protecting your family, your kingdom?_ she thought coldly. _Your queen's wrongdoings went unchecked for decades. Now she is Queen Mother and rules beside your son. There is no end to their tyranny._

She clutched her stomach, at the place where a child once grew, where only pain remained… pain so intense, she lost her breath and fell, gasping, to the ground.

It was the last time she would see him in a long time.

 _"It's been a while. Your sons So, Eun, Baek Ah and Jung are here… they are alive and fighting alongside General Park Sookyung."_ She looked back at the Fourth Prince and the young girl, Hae Soo. _"The son you could not protect is trying his best to protect your legacy. He is a good, honorable man."_ She looked back at the epitaph before her. _"Do you still regret what happened to him? The third son of your first wife, he had as much potential to be just as ruthless, just as heartless as his brother. But even years of abuse was not enough to crush his gentle soul. People continue to misunderstand him, yet he continues to fight. I suppose… he inherited your kind heart, strength, and your good sense of judgment. It is a pity that the son your family drove away turned out to be the one son your kingdom needed… but do not regret it for you saved everyone by keeping him away from your wife."_

The thunder clouds rolled in but the air around them was completely still. In the silence, she wondered if he could hear her. A sudden brush of warm air on her cheek made her close her eyes. _"I never shared your dreams. I would have been happy with a simple life… with you, a son or a daughter, this field of daisies, that old oak tree, the long, winding stream. I didn't need a king for a husband, nor a prince or a princess for a child. I just wanted to live and be free._

 _"You knew, didn't you? You always knew."_ She brushed away her tears lest they fell into the pot of tea she had offered him. _"You gave that world to others, but you could not give it to me. Neither could I ask it of you until it was too late. Thinking of it now, we were both at fault. We were both foolish to want everything, knowing the kind of sacrifice the throne warranted."_

She took out the hairpin he had given her, never worn, as beautiful and new as the day she had received it, knowing it did not really belong to her.

"Sanggung, will you really not come?" Soo asked softly, watching her teacher drink her tea on the morning of their departure. She had to ask again. She tried not to think of this as the last time she would ever see her do so.

Lady Oh had her eyes closed, savoring the taste. "The tea is good today. Just the right temperature. You have done well."

"Sanggung, I'll take care of you, I'll-"

"My time is up, Soo-yah," she gently told her distressed student. "I have lived my life, now you must live yours. Do not dwell on death." _You have an entire future ahead of you._

"But… who will take care of you?" Soo asked, eyes filling with tears.

"Do you remember my story?"

Soo did. It was the story of a king and the lady he could never have. It was not a happy story.

"If my baby had lived… she would have been your age." Sooyeon smiled and reached out to touch the young girl's face, to brush the tears that rolled down her pale cheeks. "I see a lot of myself in you, Soo-yah. You are a good girl, but you trust too easily. Remember all that I've taught you. Remember that men of the royal family become cowards for only one reason… the throne changes people. Even the best of us can be lost to its power. And the palace is a dangerous place, hard to enter but even harder to leave.

"If one day you are given the choice… the opportunity to leave the fighting in favor of a more peaceful existence, I implore you to take it. Do not involve yourself in the struggles of the royal family. They are not worth your freedom or your life."

Soo held tightly onto the thick volumes sanggung had given her, tucked safely within the bag Myunghee had taught her to make. She tried and failed to hold back her tears as she looked back and waved at her teacher one last time.

 _"My short time with you has made me happier than I have been in years. Do not cry for me. I am going to a better place, one where I can live my life again, with my child and my love."_

"The throne changes people," Soo murmured under her breath, keeping her eyes trained on the fortress gates until she saw them no longer. Until she saw her no longer. _Your Highness…_ she thought, glancing up at the man holding onto the reins behind her, _is that what will happen to you?_

 _Will the throne corrupt you, too?_

Late into the night, they made camp. So held out his hands to lift Soo onto the ground, then he gave her his cloak. She had been crying and shivering the entire journey.

She sniffled, looking curiously up at him, "Why-?" But he turned away to tether his horse to the nearest tree.

"Soo-yah, come warm yourself," Myunghee said gently, leading her to the fire pit the men had made. Soo thanked So quietly and dried her eyes.

So watched them all - his brothers, the ladies, the men. And his thoughts wandered.

 _"What's this?" he asked, staring blankly at the hairpin sanggung had placed on his palm. It was expensive, that he could tell, made of the finest quality jade and metals. And on its head were lotus flowers, white and pure._

 _"Your father gave it to me when he died. I pass it on to you."_

 _He glanced at her, not sure what to make of such a gift._

 _"The lotus flower is a symbol of rebirth... renewal. You have been dealt a hard hand by fate, but you are more than your past. You are the son of the first King of Goryeo, a powerful and wise man. You are a warrior, the prince of a nation, the hope for the future. There is much you still need to do, that you have to live for." She covered his hand with her own, enclosing the trinket within his fist. "Protect them, and know that your father watches over you. He always has and he always will."_

 _He had prayed to his father for guidance. Was this his answer?_

Three of his brothers and his birth mother were now their enemies. He had a lot to protect, a lot left to do. To live for. "When the time comes, father, give me the strength to do what I must."

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Bittersweet~ King Taejo and Lady Oh. I don't think anyone's ever written anything about them before... or the stories are very few xD I hope I managed to capture the essence of their relationship. I tried to follow the events of the drama, so those who haven't seen MLSHR and have only seen Outlander might be confused hehe**

 **On Taejo's tomb, I tried to research on it and used the actual location in this fic (Haeson-ri, still in Kaesong, at the north. Haeson-ri is also where he was born and where he met Mu's mother (the whole "you are the only son of General Wang Geon, the others are sons of a king" line in the drama). Wikipedia tells us Hyejong/Mu's mother was Janghwa of the Oh clan (That's right, _Oh_. Doh! Anyway, obviously the drama made Lady Oh and Mu's mother separate people, so I kept it that way in this fic lol). The description of Taejo's tomb is also based on images I saw on Google.**

 **Thank you lots for the feedback! I will do my best to grant your requests :)**


	12. Out of Sight

In this chapter:

 _Just a little farther… He would reach them soon. He could feel it. It would only be a matter of time before Baek Ah caught up to them, and then…_

* * *

They made good time traveling during the day and resting late at night. Though rainstorms occasionally plagued them, plunging them into weather that only grew colder with each passing day, they were not enough to slow them down. They were, however, enough to make them sick.

Luckily, Lady Oh had given Soo most of her herbs and medicine. Unluckily, only a handful of them could be used for colds, and they were quickly running out. Luckily, Soo's 21st century constitution meant she was immortal as far as diseases went and could therefore look after her patients without fear of infection.

"Fourth Prince!" she called, running to keep up with him on a considerably milder, though no less gloomy, afternoon. "You haven't taken your medicine for today. Everyone else has-"

"I'm fine," he waved her away curtly, forcing his voice to go deeper so as to mask the nasal quality this infernal cold had given him. "Eunnie and Myunghee need it more."

"He says he's feeling much better and wants you to have it. There's still a lot left to go around."

Already cranky from lack of sleep, So decided that since it wasn't a question, that he was not compelled to give a reply. Instead, he lengthened his strides and reached the edge of the cliff in no time.

Not as athletic, Hae Soo huffed and puffed after him. "He couldn't… even stay put… two seconds to take it," she seethed, grabbing at leaves and branches to pull her heavy legs along, "aigoo, he drives me crazy… if it weren't for… Eunnie and Baek Ah… asking me… I wouldn't have bothered!" Finally arriving at the top, she collapsed onto the ground and took a moment to calm her shaking legs.

So didn't even spare her a glance.

Taking a deep breath, she got up and marched up to him, wordlessly holding the bottle in front of his face. He took it and drank it in one gulp.

"Yah, if you were just going to drink it, why did you make me follow you all the way up here?" she demanded crossly.

He looked at her finally, but didn't seem offended by the casual way she addressed him. "We're close."

The hairs on Soo's arms stood on end. "We are?"

"This is Taedong river." He nodded towards the little village sitting on its other side. "Word is the head of your clan currently resides there."

The Hae clan must have fallen really badly if their leader is forced to live in a such a small village in such a remote location. Will they really be able to help? Soo crouched on all fours and peeked over the side. They were very high up, and the river waters below were raging after days of strong rain. "And how do we cross this?"

"There should be a pass somewhere nearby that the villagers take. We'll have to look for it first."

Soo sighed and sat back. To think the village was just over there, about a mile away. "If only we could fly."

She hadn't realized she had spoken out loud until he chuckled without humor.

"If only."

They sent two men to scout the riverbank in search of a bridge that would take them to the Hae clan, but when three days passed without word of either, the men grew restless and worried.

"They should have been back days ago," General Park voiced his concern to So. "Something must have happened." So couldn't agree more.

"Your Highness, what are your orders?" the soldiers asked, convening.

With less than a dozen men left, including his brothers, splitting up with an unknown threat nearby was risky. But they had no choice.

"We split up. I shall lead the search. General Park, you stay and guard our supplies."

"I do not like the thought of you venturing out on your own," the general said.

"I'll take Jung with me, then. The women, Baek Ah and Eun… they stay behind with you."

General Park took a moment to think this through, but eventually, he nodded. "Be careful on your way back. The forest will be rigged with traps."

So smirked and nodded back. "I'll trust you. Jung-ah!" he called, causing his youngest brother to look up. "You're coming with me."

They saddled up the horses and left.

"Father, where are they going?" Soon Deok asked as the rest of them looked at General Park, who was gathering more supplies and weapons. "Where are _you_ going?"

"The men we sent out to scout have not yet returned," he explained. "If there is a threat out there, we need to be prepared. Soon Deok-ah, stay here and watch over everyone. I'll try to be back by nightfall."

Soon Deok understood. She nodded and immediately got to work creating more arrows. Once she had made enough and hidden them away at strategic locations, she took out every weapon that was left and made her companions gather around in a circle.

"Do any of you know how to use this?" she asked, holding up a sword.

Eun looked offended. "Yah! We're princes. Of course we know how to use a sword!"

She sighed and forced it into his hands, then she looked at Baek Ah, who shrugged apologetically and said, "I only use them for aesthetic purposes."

"Can you shoot a bow at least?" she asked, holding one up.

He nodded. "Yes, though I must admit, I'm not very good at it, either."

"That's okay. You needn't use it to shoot far targets, just those near you. I'll show you where I've hidden the arrows later. If or when a fight breaks out, head to the nearest one and stay hidden. Fire when you can, as many times as you can." From her boot, she unstrapped a small knife. "Keep this with you. If you ever run out of arrows, or if someone gets too close, use this."

"Soo has always been good at shooting arrows," Myunghee piped up suddenly, making Soo jerk upright in alarm.

"I what?"

Myunghee laughed and patted her shoulder. "Of course you wouldn't remember… but you used to shoot arrows at the shooting range everyday with my husband. Those were the only times the both of you spoke to each other." She turned brightly to Soon Deok. "She's been shooting since she was a young girl. Perhaps if we let her shoot again, it'll trigger her memories!"

Soon Deok looked at Soo with a whole new level of appreciation. "Let's give it a shot."

"Or two," Eun added with a snicker.

Everyone looked at him with similar questioning looks. He rolled his eyes and mimed shooting an arrow. "One shot, two shots?"

Everyone groaned. Only Jung would have found that funny.

Ignoring him, Soon Deok got to her feet. "Lady, try to shoot that tree over there."

"I don't know how to use a bow and arrow," Soo said frantically. "Unnie, I really don't."

"Of course you do. You were very good at it!" Myunghee assured her with a smile. She pulled Soo to her feet and handed her the bow. "Just give it a shot, Soo-yah!"

"Or two," Eun murmured with another snicker.

Soo saw she had no choice. She had held a bow and arrow once, very briefly, when she was a child. She had gone with her uncle to a fair in America and had spent the afternoon waiting for him to finish speaking with some colleagues. But that had been a small bow, and the target had been five feet in front of her.

This was a huge ass bow and the target tree was thrice as far.

"Okay," she mumbled to herself, trying to position it right. She accepted an arrow from Soon Deok and tried not to panic as she placed one end on the string. Do you hold it this way or that way? She found it was much easier to draw the string using her dominant hand and used her left to grip the bow.

Myunghee and Soon Deok clapped their hands and cheered. Soon Deok said, "Just relax and breathe. Even if your mind has forgotten, your body should remember how to-"

Everyone fell silent when the arrow landed three feet away from her.

Cheeks flaming, Soo picked it up and tried again… and got the same result. Forcing a laugh, she shook her aching hands. "Looks like I'm a bit rusty."

"It's alright, Soo-yah, try again. Maybe the next shot will be it!"

"Or-" Eun began, but Baek Ah held an imperious finger to his lips. "Don't."

Soo forced her arms to remain steady this time. She tightened her grip on the bow and strained as she drew the string… back… back… as far as she could draw it. Her muscles were tensing up and her breathing was labored.

Steady… aim…

She released the arrow and it soared through the air, straight into the gap between the trees. It missed her target by a good two feet, but her audience clapped encouragingly.

"Alright, Soo-yah!" Baek Ah cheered, massaging her tight shoulders.

"That was good. You just lack strength on your arms," Soon Deok determined. "If we survive this, I'll train you and unnie, then it'll only be a matter of time before your body remembers."

Soo's arms felt weak, but she was happy. Satisfied. She did it. She passed the test. For now. Feeling lighthearted, she volunteered to go fetch the arrow while Soon Deok resumed her task of handing out weapons.

Alone, Soo walked into the trees, keeping her eyes trained on the ground. Knowing the arrow had veered off towards the right, she headed in that direction. "Mushrooms…" she whispered, making a mental note to return for them later.

Finally, she found what she was looking for nestled on the roots of a large tree.

It was when she crouched to pick it up that it happened… a man's boot intercepted her hand. Soo had no time to think. She sprang to her feet, away from the man. He was tall - standing perhaps two heads above her, and wearing a mask. But he had no weapons on him, she realized with hope. She might yet be able to survive this. He was big, but she had companions.

"Who…?" she tried to speak, but a blow from out of nowhere knocked her out.

Soon Deok spun on her heels, alert. "Did anyone hear that?"

"Hear what?" Eun asked, eyeing her with concern.

Soon Deok didn't bother to reply. "Stay here," she ordered, "and ready your weapons." She walked cautiously towards the trees. "Lady Soo? Soo-yah!" When there was no response, she began to panic. The arrow couldn't have flown that far.

"Soon Deok, what is it?" Myunghee asked anxiously, reaching her side.

"I think Soo might be in trouble," Soon Deok replied, thinking fast. "You guys stay here and protect each other, I'll go check-"

She never got to finish her sentence. Five men suddenly appeared, masked and armed.

"Who are you?" she demanded, pushing Myunghee behind her.

"Lay down your weapons and come quietly," the nearest one ordered, "or the lady dies."

They gasped when a sixth man, bigger than the rest, joined them. On his back, he carried Soo's lifeless body. Blood steadily dripped from a wound on her head.

Enraged, Myunghee held up her sword, "What have you done to her?"

"Lay down your weapons or you'll end up the same."

Soon Deok weighed their chances: six large men against three women - one unconscious - and two men. They would have had a better chance of making it with her father around. She could feel Eun and Baek Ah's presence behind her. She reached out and found Eun's wrist. "Find my father," she whispered, not taking her eyes off the men before them.

"I am not leaving you here! All of you!" he hissed into her ear. "I can fight!"

"You're the fastest runner," she explained. "I can hold them off for a few minutes, but we'll need my father's help if we're to come out of this alive."

"We can't let them take any of us," Baek Ah agreed, steeling himself for battle. No bows and arrows for him this time. He prayed the battle training from his days at the palace would be enough to keep them alive long enough for help to arrive. "Dead or alive… hyung-nim, we're counting on you."

Eun bit his lip, not liking the idea, but he saw their point. "I won't let you down."

Soon Deok gave an imperceptible nod. "I'll try to fend them off. You two rescue Soo. When I give the signal…" To the masked men, she raised her voice, "Alright!" She held up her sword and kept it away from her body.

"Weapons, on the ground!"

Soon Deok bent her knees slowly, aware of everyone watching her every move. She turned her blade on its side and lowered it… She had to move carefully. Any sign of resistance from her and they would all, surely…

Quick as a panther, she leapt forward and slashed, critically wounding the nearest man. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground, blood pooling around him, soaking the damp leaves in bright red. Without a moment's pause, Soon Deok spun and slashed at the next man, but he blocked her with his own sword. "GO!" she yelled.

Eun turned and ran as fast as he could, leaving Myunghee and Baek Ah to rush forward towards the large man carrying Soo. Men tried to stop them, but Soon Deok, with the ferocity of an angry bear and the agility of a cat, blocked their paths using everything she had. She slashed and spun, kicked and struck them with her fists.

A man swung his sword at her throat, but she backed up, ducked and grabbed his arm, pulling him forward and kneeing his side. Without breaking momentum, she leapt off his falling form and landed a kick squarely on the next man's chest. From the periphery of her vision, she saw that Myunghee and Baek Ah were being pursued and, with a yell, she threw her sword and heard rather than saw it lodge into his back. He fell like a puppet whose strings had just been cut. To the man in front of her, she struck his elbow, causing his sword to clatter out of his grasp, then she swung her leg upwards, hooking her knee around his neck, and twisted in the air, throwing him face-first onto his fallen comrade.

 _Two dead. Two injured. One left standing. One carrying Soo. Myunghee and Baek Ah in close pursuit._

She knew the both of them would not be enough to rescue Soo, but she had to make them leave, to keep them from getting hurt. She had to end this quickly.

She stood, panting, and faced her remaining opponent. They had been easier to subdue than she'd thought, but months of limited movement meant her stamina was no longer what it once was. A movement from behind her alerted her to danger, and she rolled sideways in time to dodge the downward swing of a sword.

The two she had bested were bleeding and bruised, but they were up and ready to continue fighting. She wondered if she could get to her friends in time to help them.

"Stop!" Baek Ah and Myunghee yelled, sprinting as fast as they could. They dodged low hanging branches, leapt over roots and rocks, hacked at bushes, but the man bearing Soo remained ahead, familiar with the terrain.

"We can't lose her!" Myunghee cried, worry gripping her chest.

"Sister, go back and help Soon Deok," Baek Ah panted.

"And leave you alone? Are you out of your mind?"

He stopped and pulled her. Breathing heavily, he said as firmly as he could, "I'll be fine. Soo is injured. When you and Soon Deok are done, follow the trail of blood. I might not be able to kill him… but I will try my best to slow him down. Sister… I'm counting on you."

Myunghee didn't like it, but she knew… knew she was only slowing him down. She nodded and stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips. "Be careful."

Stunned, Baek Ah watched her leave. Then, remembering Soo, he turned, resolute.

Without Myunghee to consider, he could lengthen his strides… use his height to his advantage. The man had a woman to carry. His movements were hampered.

They were close to the river now… Baek Ah could hear the pounding waves, the rushing current.

He had to watch his steps. The ground was even slippier here, the soft mud sticking to his boots, which occasionally sunk an inch or two, weighing him down. But it was alright… this was his advantage, too, because the man was sure to be much heavier than he.

 _Just a little farther…_ He would reach them soon. He could feel it. It would only be a matter of time before Baek Ah caught up to them, and then…

He had not been expecting the blow. He staggered, dazed, slashing wildly with his sword arm. Two men stood before him now, and Hae Soo was nowhere to be seen.

"Go, bring the lady," the bigger man ordered. "And do not come back for us."

Baek Ah shook his head to clear it. The second man had rushed to the shore, where he realized a wooden boat was docked. A bundle of cloaks and blankets lay unconscious on the bow.

"Soo-yah," he murmured, taking a step towards her, but the larger man got in his way. Baek Ah tumbled to the ground, away from the man's heavy swing. "Soo-yah!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, dodging blow after blow, after tedious blow. "Soo-yah!" She had to hear, she had to wake, she had to fight and swim back to shore…

He had stayed still too long. A blow to his arm jarred him, sending waves of electric shock throughout his body. He fell sideways and tried to crawl away, but the man grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him into the air.

He flailed his limbs wildly, trying to land a good blow, but without the ground to help, his kicks held no power, and because he was slowly losing air, neither did his punches. The edges of his vision were blurring. He was getting lightheaded. He could no longer feel his limbs. His eyes rolled backwards into their sockets…

He fell to the ground, barely conscious, throat constricted, unable to draw air.

He couldn't see, but he could hear… faint sounds of people fighting, growing fainter with each second. He could hear the sharp tanging of sword against sword, the dull thud of flesh against flesh.

The ground shook, once, and then all was quiet. He must be dead.

 _"Baek Ah-yah!"_

He knew that voice. It sounded small, distant, but he knew it. _Hyung-nim?_

Someone forced him on his side and whacked his back with a fist. At once, Baek Ah's airways cleared as he expelled whatever air had been left in his lungs. He gasped and curled into a ball, body racked with violent coughs as he fought to breathe.

"Yah, are you alright?" So asked, continuing to thump his back.

"S… S-s-s…" Baek Ah wheezed. "H-hy… hyung…"

"What happened? Who was he? Why are you all the way out here?"

"Hyung…nim," he grabbed his brother's clothes and forced himself to speak. Everything was an effort. Everything hurt. "H-hyung-nim…"

"Shh, it's alright now. You're safe," So assured him, helping him to his feet. "Don't speak just yet. Your throat is badly bruised. It will take a while to heal."

But Baek Ah shook his head. This was important. With whatever strength he could muster, he wheezed, "Hae… Soo… gone…"

That caught So's attention. "What? Where is she?"

"R-riv…er."

Horrified, everyone looked at the river current.

"Who is our best swimmer?" Jung demanded from behind So.

Baek Ah shook his head, grimacing. "Not… in…" he pointed to the other side, "boat."

He left it up to them to decipher what he meant. His message finally delivered, he gave in to the pain and weariness. His eyes rolled back once more and his eyelids fell along with his body.

"Baek Ah-yah!" So shook him, panicking, but he stopped when he noticed Baek Ah was breathing. His next concern were Soon Deok and General Park. Where were they?

"Jung-ah, scout the area. Look to the banks on the opposite side of the river. If there was a boat here, I want to know where it went. I'll return to camp."

Jung nodded and began ordering the men.

So laid Baek Ah on the ground and got on his horse. He rode as fast as he could, and reached the area in time to see General Park disposing of the last man standing.

"Hyung-nim!" Eun called, relieved.

"Are you hurt?"

Eun shook his head, which satisfied So. "General, what happened?"

General Park ordered Soon Deok to tie up the two men still alive, then he approached So. "Ambush. I was making traps when it happened. I hadn't sensed them in the forest at all, or I would have stayed behind."

So sighed in frustration. "None of us did. They must have been waiting for us to split up."

"Do you think they could be his men?"

So nodded. "They were familiar enough with the area to avoid detection. Only one village is close enough. They must have come from there."

"In that case, the Haes must not be as unfortunate as we thought."

Soon Deok came forward, anxious. "Your Highness, Soo has been captured!"

"Yes, I know-"

"Baek Ah and Myunghee could still be in danger-"

"We got to Baek Ah in time but they had already taken-" So stopped talking, "What did you say?"

"We need to follow them at once-"

"No. Before that… where's Myunghee?"

Soon Deok pointed to the trees. "She went with Baek Ah to retrieve Soo."

So shook his head. "We found Baek Ah but not Myunghee. Are you sure?"

"Of course," she replied, confused. Baek Ah and Myunghee had left together, she had made sure of it. "I let them chase after Soo to get them away from the fighting."

"Hold on, are you saying Myunghee is missing?" Eun gasped.

General Park and So exchanged brief glances before rushing back into the trees.

Myungee wouldn't just suddenly stop pursuing Soo, unless an injury had forced her to, in which case Baek Ah would have been sure to stick to her side. He wouldn't just leave her behind, unless he knew she was safe… he's loved her since they were children.

"Your Highness!" General Park called from somewhere to his right.

So ran to him, dreading the worst. He stopped in front of the General, who held up a pair of knitting needles.

"Do you think they could have taken her, too?" General Park asked quietly.

There were no signs of a struggle, but she could have been ambushed. So was certain now that she was on her way back to Soon Deok when someone took her.

Seeing the look on So's face, the general understood. He sighed. "What do we do?"

"First," So growled, whipping out his sword as he headed back to camp, "we get answers."

The screams that permeated the air from mid-afternoon until after sundown made them lose their appetites - not that they had much to begin with.

Baek Ah's throat had swelled up, his breathing becoming laboured again in consequence. Soon Deok was no healer but she figured the concoction Soo had made for her back couldn't hurt Baek Ah's injuries. Once done massaging some onto his muscles, she wrapped his throat loosely with a soft piece of cloth from Myunghee's pack. "Try not to talk… we'll mash up your food for now so don't eat anything solid either or you might not be able to swallow."

Baek Ah nodded, closing his eyes and wincing when another scream filled the air.

"I should've run faster," Eun whispered, angry and disappointed with himself, "then maybe Soo and Myunghee would still be with us. Maybe Baek Ah wouldn't be this hurt." He slammed his fist into the ground and winced at the pain.

"We all could have done a number of things. We were caught unawares, it happens. Don't beat yourselves up over it," Soon Deok said with a sigh, applying the medicine onto his hand, too. She looked at Jung, "I asked one of the men to cook something soft tonight for Baek Ah-nim. Will you see to it?"

Jung nodded and got up, clapping Baek Ah's shoulder encouragingly before heading back into the clearing. Keeping his eyes away from the man tied to the tree, he approached the one stirring the cauldron.

"Vegetable stew, Your Highness," the man replied in answer to his query. "It should be ready in a while."

"Please inform me when it is." Jung approached So cautiously from behind. "Has he said anything useful, hyung-nim?"

So shook his head. "We've already pulled out three of his nails and carved the flesh of his thighs… but he's stubborn like the first."

Jung shuddered in disgust, looking at the first man they had interrogated, who was lying in a messy, bloody heap on the ground, completely unconscious. He's killed men before, seen mutilated bodies littering bloodied plains… but he found this slow, deliberate, painful torture harder to stomach.

"So we have no idea where they could have been taken?"

"Oh, we know," So replied grimly. "The question is… why were they taken? And what can we expect when we attempt to take them back?"

* * *

 ***insert dramatic music***

 **Heheheh the plot thickens! Bad ass Soon Deok! Well, with General Park (So's teacher!) for a father, and raised as a soldier all her life... she's like the third toughest person to beat next to So and Gen. Park. :3**

 **I'm actually sick with the flu so do forgive any mistakes... I'm too tired to reread everything.**

 **Thank you for the feedback, everyone! See you in the next chapter!**


	13. When Dealing With Snakes

In this chapter:

 _"Please," the master of the house said with a humorless smile, "have a seat. We have much to discuss."_

* * *

Soo woke up to a sharp pain in her head. The moment she tried to touch it was the moment she realized she was tied up, leaning against a wooden post. She blinked slowly to clear her vision, and looked around.

She found herself in a small, wooden shed. Dull light streamed in from gaps in between the boards of the wall, the only light available to her. She was seated on a pile of dried grass, the only things keeping her from being completely soaked, and the occasional drip of water from the ceiling told her it was raining out.

Her head throbbed suddenly with pain and she winced audibly.

"Soo-yah?"

 _Myunghee_. Hearing her voice lifted Soo's spirits greatly. "Unnie?" she coughed.

"Soo-yah!" Myunghee cried, sounding relieved.

"Where… where are you?" Soo squinted around and finally spotted her tied to a post on the other side of the room. "Unnie, are you okay?"

"You're the one who's injured," Myunghee reminded, then breathed deeply to compose herself. "It's alright, Soo-yah. The others will come for us. We just need to have faith and be patient."

"But where are we?" Soo asked weakly, closing her eyes to stop the world from spinning.

"If I'm right… we're with family."

Soo frowned, and then understood. "The Haes?" It made sense. They had certainly been close enough to the village. Heartened, she realized that meant their friends were close by as well. "But then why would they hurt us? And why are we being chained and locked up like criminals?"

Myunghee had a hunch but didn't want to frighten her. "Perhaps they did not recognize us. Perhaps they'll set us free once our uncle comes." It was unlikely, but not impossible. It certainly didn't hurt to hope.

The door opened, shedding more light temporarily into their darkness.

"Who's there?" Myunghee demanded, managing to sound braver than she felt. "Show yourself!"

A man stepped into their line of vision, but he did not say anything. He went first to Myunghee, bent over, and then to Soo, who opened her eyes enough to see he had placed a bowl of soup before her. She wondered how he expected her to drink it with her hands tied behind her back… then she realized perhaps this was another form of punishment. Why they were being punished when these people were supposed to be family, she had no idea.

"Wait!" Myunghee yelled when the man turned to leave. "My name is Hae Myunghee. My cousin is Hae Soo. We are on Hae property, are we not?"

The man nodded, but said nothing. It filled Myunghee with dread. They had recognized them… recognized them and yet treated them this way. Why? Was their clan, after all, in league with the current king? No… her uncle was the type to hold grudges. The king would have had to offer them something big to earn back their complete forgiveness, and seeing as how their head now lived in such a small, remote location…

Then what? Are she and Soo being used as bait to lure in the rest of the group? Would they surrender them to the crown, for a price? Or…

Are they going to punish Soo for her disobedience in the past?

Myunghee forced down her panic. Both scenarios looked bleak. Soo would end up being punished for something she had no memory of.

"I would like to speak to our uncle, Lord Hae Hajin."

Soo glanced up at the name, but then she realized her cousin was referring to another, and shut her eyes again.

"The master is not here."

"Then who has he left in charge?"

Myunghee imagined there was cruelty in the way the man smiled. Then again, perhaps she hadn't been imagining it. "Master Hae Hanjae."

Myunghee stared up at him, momentarily too shocked to speak. Soo noticed. "Unnie… who is Master Hae Hanjae?"

Instead of replying, Myunghee raised her voice, angry in her fear. "I command you to bring me to him at once!"

But the man ignored her and walked away.

"My cousin is hurt!" Myunghee screamed after him, trying to free herself of her bonds. "Get back here! Will you not find her a healer?!"

She continued to scream even after the door had closed.

"Unnie," Soo whispered, frightened. In their short time together, she had never seen Myunghee lash out like this. "It's alright. I'm dizzy but I don't think it's serious. I should be fine with enough rest. But… who is Master Hae Hanjae? Is he another uncle?"

Myunghee closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. "He's my father."

They went the entire evening without food or water and were tired and sore by morning from sitting too long in one position. As before, the same man entered their place of confinement and placed bowls of soup in front of them, untying their hands this time before leaving without a single word.

Myunghee drank her soup and went back to sleep. She had spent an exhausting night trying to think of ways to escape, or else of things she would say to her father once they met again.

The soup was tasteless and cold, but it was enough to quench Soo's thirst. Though beyond starving, she still felt infinitely better after a night of rest. Setting aside her empty bowl, she stretched out her stiff limbs with a grimace and began to fumble with the ropes that bound her from behind, but the knot was too far to reach, and her shoulders, fingers, and chest ached after minutes of unsuccessful tugging. She glanced around for something - anything - she could use to cut her ropes, but they had taken her knife and there was nothing useful close by. All she had was the ceramic bowl by her feet. It would have to do. Picking it up, she smashed it into the ground, the loud sound jerking Myunghee awake.

"Soo-yah, what are you-?"

"Shh…" Soo hushed, listening closely in case someone had heard. To her dismay, she could hear pairs of feet marching their way, and quickly hid the largest, sharpest piece of ceramic she could find in the inside pocket of her jeogori.

The door opened and a dozen servants came in, splitting into two groups to untie Soo and Myunghee.

"What are you doing?" Baffled, Soo pulled away with all her strength the moment she was cut loose. "Don't touch me! Who are you people?"

"The master has ordered us to escort Lady Hae Myunghee and Lady Hae Soo to their chambers," one woman replied with a solemn bow. "Please follow us."

Soo exchanged suspicious glances with her cousin, but Myunghee nodded and got to her feet with a groan. She took a moment to get her blood circulating again before following the servants to the door.

"Do we trust them?" Soo whispered, eyeing the servants behind them, the guards flanking their sides, and the woman she presumed was the head maid in front. She could see no opening for escape, not unless by some stretch of a miracle they're able to subdue all these people by themselves.

"No," Myunghee murmured back, "but we have no choice." The only comforting thought was that her father was a pragmatist and had more use for them alive than dead.

They were led deep into the compound. Soo noted that though the place was small, it was by no means poor. Guards patrolled the paths constantly, with more standing watch outside closed doors that must be the storage sheds. The deeper in they went, the more Soo began to dread that escape was impossible… for how could their small company hope to rescue them against so many opponents?

"They're splitting us up," Myunghee said grimly. She saw how frightened Soo looked despite trying to hide it and squeezed her arm comfortingly. "Just do as you're told. We'll probably see each other again very soon."

Soo marched alongside her guards to a far room at the east of the innermost compound. Her room was quaint, furnished for necessity rather than luxury, with white silk drapes around her floor bed, and more covering the walls. She suspected they were doors and windows that had been shut and bolted to discourage any form of escape.

She yelped and drew back when hands reached for her bodice. "I can wash myself, just show me where."

The head maid appeared not to hear her. "Wash the lady thoroughly and prepare her for lunch. When the doctor arrives, see to it that he has everything he needs."

Soo had never felt so violated in her life. Though she had struggled and fought the entire time, her strength proved insufficient in the face of so many equally-determined adversaries. They had even taken her little shard of ceramic.

The wizened old doctor was the only exception. He spoke in a quiet voice and looked her over for visible wounds. For hidden wounds within her person, he simply asked her attendants whether she had any, and left when they replied she didn't.

Blushing and angry, she kept her hands to herself and glared at anyone who dared to come within two feet of her personal space as she walked through closed, winding halls to where she presumed lunch was waiting, the thought of food and Myunghee the only things spurring her on. She tried to remember which passages they took, but eventually was forced to give up.

A door at the end of the hall opened suddenly, bathing them all in warm, bright candlelight, whereafter, her maids stepped aside, clearing her a path. Not sure what she would find in the next room, she entered cautiously.

"Soo-yah."

"Unnie!" she called back, relieved. She turned left, following the direction of Myunghee's voice, and came face-to-face with a finely-dressed, large man with small, calculating eyes, a button nose that looked like a bigger version of Myunghee's, and lips that were pursed in a perpetual frown. She figured this was uncle.

The dining hall wasn't large but it was rich. Jade and gold ornaments covered every surface, with glass cabinets containing fine china lining the walls, which contained numerous braziers and candleholders that both warmed and lit up the room. She imagined it would be quite stifling in here during summer, but the heat was welcome after the late autumn chill from outside and after being dunked into equally chilly bathwater not too long ago.

"Soo-yah," Myunghee called again, this time nodding towards the empty seat at the table across from her, on her father's left.

Slowly, Soo sat, wondering what was happening. She looked to Myunghee for answers, but her cousin was silent and completely still.

Her uncle suddenly moved. He brought up one pudgy hand, bedecked with jewels, and reached for a bell, which he rang twice. More servants immediately filed in from an open door, carrying trays of food. They smelled and looked scrumptious, especially after a night of starvation and nothing but a bowl of tasteless cold soup for breakfast.

Just as quickly as they came, the servants left, leaving behind a table that was suddenly full of hot, freshly cooked dishes.

"You must be hungry," her uncle's voice was deep and surprisingly pleasant to the ears. He spoke slowly, his every word clear and loud in the quiet. "Eat. We have much to discuss."

Soo waited for Myunghee to start eating before she did. Mouth watering, she reached for a piece of braised pork and took a bite. It was so good, she had to use all of her willpower to make sure she didn't moan.

Her uncle offered her a plate of greens, and she quickly accepted it with both hands and a whispered thanks. She couldn't help but notice that he hadn't offered any to his daughter, who ate stiffly, as though she were eating horse fodder rather than steamed fish.

Finally, after ten minutes of silent eating, her uncle spoke again. Not looking at his daughter, he asked, "When will you be returning to the capital?"

Myunghee pressed her lips tightly together and replied, "I will not be going back."

He tutted. "A wife's place is beside her husband."

"I wish to have my marriage nullified."

He tutted again and took a sip of wine. "Ridiculous."

"My husband and I are on opposite sides of the war. If I return, it will only be as a prisoner. Knowing this, why should I?" she challenged. "Why ask it of me?"

"War?" His voice was mildly curious rather than incredulous. "There is no war that I am aware of."

"You must know that half of the country is opposing the current king."

Soo almost choked on her rice. She stared at Myunghee, wondering why she was being so frank. She could easily be punished for saying something like that so openly.

"I do not wish to support such a tyrannical king," she added.

"And yet your husband remains by his side. Do not think me a fool. I know very well what his true intentions are. He wishes to be king. With our help, he very well could be. So tell me, what's stopping me from sending you back to him to resume your duties as his first wife, and, when the time comes, as one of his most powerful queens?"

Myunghee hated his nonchalance. He spoke of such matters so lightly, as though he were playing a game rather than deciding the fate of the country. He had information, he always did. The Haes are adept at gathering intelligence.

He leaned back in his seat and fixed his eyes on her. "One reason. If I deem it good enough, I will allow you to remain."

Myunghee had already thought her answers through prior to coming here. "You must not want Jeongjong on the throne. He shamed the clan, chased uncle out of the palace, forced you to live here." It did not escape her notice that the Haes did not lose much by way of wealth after such a downfall. Where was it all coming from?

"As for that unfortunate circumstance," he drawled and looked at Soo, "we have your cousin to blame."

"Me?" Soo blurted out without thinking.

He raised his eyebrows at her, looking at her like she was an idiot. "Naturally. You refused marriage to the late King Taejo and ran away like a common wench. Without your status as the late king's wife to protect us, chasing us out became easy for the Yoos. And now the Yis protect the borders, leaving us with…" He waited for his daughter to finish his sentence for him.

"Nothing."

He nodded.

"You call this nothing?" Soo grumbled, taking in all the wealth in the room. This was just one room of many. Did he think her blind as well as stupid? And did he just say… the original Hae Soo had run away to avoid marriage to the king?

 _Good for her,_ she thought, _but I'm guessing bad for us._

"Without power, wealth becomes meaningless," he said in dangerous tones, his cold gaze daring Soo to look away. "We have wealth but we cannot spend it, else we risk exposing our businesses to the crown."

"Why? Where is it that we get it from?" Myunghee asked at once. She knew she was pushing her luck, but she had to try. She felt the answer was important. "From _whom_?"

He trained his cold gaze on her. "A story for another time, perhaps. You have given me no good reason to make you stay. If that is all," he reached out for his bell, but Myunghee grabbed it before he could.

"My husband will not make a good king," she said firmly.

He looked intrigued and waited for her to continue.

"While at the palace, I learned things… saw things. King Jeongjong no longer heeds the advice of his ministers. He does not even listen to the Queen Mother. He acts on impulse most days," she explained, "by contrast, my husband is a thinker more than a doer. He'll spend more time thinking than actually doing anything. Neither of them make good kings."

"Then, who would you rather have ruling this country?"

She took a deep breath. This was a gamble, one that could potentially yield devastating results. "You know we travel with a group of princes."

"Naturally."

"Prince Jung, youngest of the Yoos, is one of them. He has a powerful family to back him, should Jeongjong lose the throne, as well as the military strength of Grand General Park."

He withdrew his hand from the bell and leaned back in his seat. "You're saying he would make a good king?"

 _Not at all,_ she thought grimly. "He is young and lacking in experience… but he can be taught. He can be better." She looked at her young cousin then. Soo thought she saw guilt in her cousin's eyes. "He is also unmarried."

Soo felt her jaw drop.

"Ah," her father also looked at Soo, as though this idea had just occurred to him.

Myunghee quickly reminded, "She was deemed worthy enough to marry the late King Taejo. Nothing has changed."

They were all silent for the longest time. Soo found herself hyperventilating as she tried to catch Myunghee's eye. Was she actually being sold off to Prince Jung? _"Don't let anyone know you've lost your memories. Do as I do and keep your head down."_ Was this the reason?

Finally, without warning, Master Hae took his bell and shook it once. A small man dressed in brown bowed himself in. "Yes, master?"

"Have some men escort our guests to their chambers. No one is to enter and leave their rooms without my permission."

Startled, Myunghee said, "What are you planning? Father!"

But armed men had already entered the room and were forcing them off their seats. Myunghee tried to think of all the possibilities to explain her father's reaction and actions. If they were being confined to their rooms, that meant they weren't going anywhere anytime soon. Then what?

"Unnie!" Soo hissed, rushing over to her side as they were led out of the room and back into the dim hallways. "Marriage? To Prince Jung?"

Myunghee grasped her cousin's hand quickly and pulled her closer so she could whisper, "Our uncle may be the head of our clan, but my father is the brains," she explained, "I've just bought us and our friends some time by giving him something to think about. Until then, at least we can be sure of our stay here, and of our friends' lives."

"Have you seen the number of guards they have?" Soo asked, not reassured in the slightest. If they can't escape and their friends can't come, then they're all just sitting ducks, waiting for her uncle to make his move.

But Myunghee smiled, "Our friends were able to infiltrate the palace and rescue Prince Eun and Soon Deok. Have a little faith, Soo-yah. They'll think of something."

Soo wished it were that easy. Sitting alone for days in her room, with nothing but a painted tapestry for company, and no news of the outside world, of Myunghee, of anything, she thought she might go mad. To pass the time and ease her nerves, she took to studying Sanggung's books. She found out after a day of confinement that she could ask for things to be brought to her, so long as they couldn't be used as weapons. She had asked for some hanji, an ink stone, and a brush to practice writing with.

After two days of studying by herself, she found she was getting nowhere and wished she had Baek Ah to guide her. Sprawled on the floor, staring up at the wooden ceiling, she was so bored, she wished she had Eun to make her laugh, or Myunghee to make clothes with, or Soon Deok to teach her how to fight, or Jung to tell her stories. She found she even missed arguing with So.

The door to her room slid open, and she sat up in surprise to see her attendants walk in. For the past three days, no one had entered her room. Her meals had always been left out on trays right outside her door, where two guards stood on constant watch. The only exception was the wizened old doctor who came in every morning after breakfast and every evening after dinner to dress her wounds.

 _"A young lady must not have a single scar on her body," he had explained quietly, impressed to find that she could name the herbs he was using on her._

"What's going on?" she asked at once, getting to her feet.

The head maid entered after the rest and bowed. "Master has requested the presence of Lady Hae Soo for lunch." _Requested, not ordered._ Soo was not deaf to the difference.

She swatted their hands away when they made to touch her body. "I've already bathed. I can dress myself."

Again, the head maid ignored her. "Dress the lady and bring her to the master quickly."

Soo contemplated biting this time, but her curiosity got the better of her. She wondered what her uncle had to say.

She was led to a different dining hall, outside the inner compound. This one, she would have no trouble locating again. As before, she entered to find her cousin and uncle already seated at the table. She didn't need telling this time and took her seat beside him. Then they waited.

The silence stretched with the awkwardness, which gradually became tense when they realized: he was waiting for something.

Or someone.

It wasn't long after this realization that noises could be heard outside their door. There was no mistaking it: it was the sound of fighting.

Soo wished to see what was going on. Could it be their friends?

"We will soon have company," her uncle said at last, hand poised to ring his bell. In a voice that held no trace of humor, he warned, "if either of you say a word… they all die."

The sound of a bell ringing continuously throughout the compound distracted the princes and their companions, more so when the men they had been fighting suddenly stood still, their weapons hanging uselessly by their sides.

"What's this?" Jung demanded, staring at them with incredulity written all over his face.

So was as confused as he was, but the answer presented itself soon enough.

A door opened, and a small man in brown bowed to them. "My master welcomes the young princes of Goryeo. Please, follow me."

Baffled, everyone convened to So.

"What do we do?" Soon Deok asked. "They all just stopped fighting."

"The compound was unguarded save for this area," General Park reminded them. "They must be close by."

"It could be a trap," Baek Ah forced himself to say. At this suggestion, Jung and Eun glared suspiciously around them at the unmoving men.

"It could be," So agreed, weighing their options. He slashed at the nearest man, who, though he held onto his bleeding arm, did not fight back.

"We could kill everyone here and then step inside," General Park suggested grimly.

"I don't think they're going to hurt us… yet," So decided at last. "But just in case, we form ranks and watch each others' backs. Ready."

Everyone went into position and held up their weapons. As they made their way to the open door, the guards also moved, closing in around them until they were completely surrounded on one side.

"Where is your master?" So demanded.

The small man bowed and slid open the door behind him.

"Welcome," a deep, low voice greeted them from within.

"Soo-yah! Sister!" Eun and Jung gasped when they saw them, but So held them back with a warning shake of the head. He had met the leader of the Haes, Lord Hae Hajin, years ago in Shinju. This man was not him. And since Soo was an orphan, that only meant he was Myunghee's father. And yet Myunghee looked angry and Soo scared. Why?

"Please," the master of the house said with a humorless smile, "have a seat. We have much to discuss."


	14. A Truce

In this chapter:

 _Again, Jung seemed to waver. Soo was not surprised… he may not know what her uncle had in mind - yet - but he was young and being forced into a tight corner by a man he wasn't even sure he could trust. But his courage and determination won out. "I swear it."_

* * *

As both parties stared at each other from across the table, the atmosphere between them was so dense, Soo imagined she felt it weighing her down when she moved to pour her uncle a fresh cup of tea. Despite the pressure of having everyone's attention on her, she made no mistakes and even managed a small smile when she lifted her eyes and made eye contact.

Though the circumstances surrounding this reunion weren't ideal, she was very happy to see her friends again. They all looked well, except for Baek Ah who looked a little pale. She ran her eyes all over his face and body, looking for blood or any indication of an injury, but found none, then she remembered they had all been sick when she saw them last. Have they been taking their medicines? They would have known she had kept them in her pouch, which she had left behind.

She presented the cup to her uncle and sat down.

"To what do we owe such a… hostile visit?" her uncle asked at last.

"We might ask you the same," So replied gruffly.

Hanjae assumed a politely confused expression that fooled no one. "What can you mean?"

"You invaded our camp and attacked our men," Jung snapped back, "our thirteenth brother almost died!"

This alarmed both Soo and Myunghee, but one raised hand from Hanjae was enough to remind them of his threat. They forced their lips shut and returned to sitting quietly on either side of him. "I humbly beg Your Highnesses' pardon; my men did not know any better. They saw my daughter and niece traveling with a group of men of unknown origins and expressed their concerns. Naturally, I sent out a party to rescue them at once."

Soo suppressed a scoff and barely managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Did he really expect anyone to believe that?

But Prince So found this excuse amusing. "Is that right?"

"It is unfortunate, but accidents do happen. And now that you have repaid our transgression in kind," he swished his tea around and raised his eyebrows, "I suppose there is nothing left for us to discuss."

Everyone was silent. Soo didn't like it. Her uncle's men had attacked them first, but with a few well-chosen words, he has managed to avoid responsibility. The princes now had a choice: leave without both the women and fulfilling what they had come here to do, or stay and bargain.

Leaving meant Myunghee would be sent back to the capital, and if the Haes were to give the crown information on the lost princes' whereabouts - or worse, surrendered the princes themselves after capturing them - then the crown would have no choice but to reward the clan for their loyalty. Power to the Haes, Myunghee back as Wook's wife… it would only be a matter of time before Wook took the throne for himself.

So was not blind to the political machinations that led to the death of so many noble ministers. Wook had used Jeongjong's power as king to eliminate their common enemies, but Jeongjong alone received all the backlash. By eliminating so many enemies, he had also managed to create more. Coupled with the rumors of his treason against Hyejong and his cruel dictates as king, whoever can unseat him now would earn the favor of both the citizens and the rest of the nobles. They had to make sure Wook was not that man.

So eyed the closed doors, knowing that hundreds of men still stood outside, waiting for their master to give them his orders. Should a fight break out… he doubted all of them would be able to get out of here alive.

Hae Hanjae had them trapped and exactly where he wanted them to be. And now he was coaxing them to tell him what they had to offer without revealing anything from his end.

 _Sly old fox,_ Soo thought, arriving at the same conclusion.

So's eyes flicked momentarily towards Soo and Myunghee. Two things were certain: first, returning to the capital was absolutely out of the question; second, the Haes had known they were coming and had allowed them to come this close. Hanjae was willing to listen because he was willing to negotiate; a true businessman. He wished to know from whom he could get a better deal before committing to a decision.

And acquiring the help of the Haes now more than ever was vital. So had to lay down his cards carefully. "We are here on behalf of King Hyejong."

This little piece of information had its desired effect: everyone gasped, temporarily breaking the tense silence. Apart from Baek Ah and General Park, no one else in this room had known that the king was still alive and dictating those who have remained loyal to him.

"Hyung-nim," Jung turned to So, utterly shocked and bewildered, "what do you mean? Did our first brother leave behind some instructions before he died?"

So gauged Hanjae's reaction. He was as surprised as everyone else but tried not to show it. "Our first brother is alive and well. He is fighting to regain his throne and we have been helping him."

"Yes!" Eun exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Then does that mean… Jeongjong's reign of terror might end soon?"

The answer would depend… depend on this man's cooperation. Hae Hanjae leaned casually back in his seat and clasped his hands together. "This is interesting news," he remarked so casually you'd think he was talking about the weather, "but what does it have to do with us?"

"Lord Hae Hanjae, if you help us fulfill our mission, I will make sure you are justly rewarded," So replied, himself leaning forward. He had no guarantees to give, but Hanjae needn't know that. If this game was a battle of wits, So would match him. He had a goal to reach and he intended to get there, one way or another.

Hanjae tutted. "My dear prince, King Hyejong does not trust my clan and I must say the feeling is mutual."

"Then you would rather place your trust in Jeongjong? How can you trust him after what he did to you?" Baek Ah rasped.

"I trust neither," Hanjae spread his palms wide open. "My clan has no use for such weak kings."

So narrowed his eyes. "If you trusted your daughter's husband, we wouldn't be having this conversation," he observed out loud, "you're listening because you don't want Wook on the throne any more than you want Hyejong or Jeongjong."

The tension returned after this statement. Too many things were happening… Hyejong secretly undermining Jeongjong, who was working with a brother who wished to unseat him. And yet the Haes supported neither man. Could there be a fourth contender for the throne?

Soo knew the answer to that: _Yes. And he's sitting in this very room._

Soo saw what So had done. It wasn't a question. So had said his piece; the ball was in Hanjae's court to do with it whatever he willed. _What will you say now, old man?_

They waited for Hanjae to make his move. When he did speak again, Soo saw it was with a genuine smile on his face - the first she has seen that didn't look lazy or bored. It wasn't a pleasant smile… it didn't convey mirth, only pleasure at having found someone able to match his game.

"You are quite right. I have no use for a son-in-law I cannot trust any more than I have use for a barren daughter," he said at last, sitting upright, boredom gone. "What use is it to me to have a daughter as queen when she is unable to produce the next line of kings?"

Soo was shocked by how casually he said it. She glared at him, wanting to hit him upside the head for being so callous, but she caught sight of Myunghee shaking her head from his other side, and clenched her teeth in anger. Soo understood the implication… despite years of marriage, Myunghee was unable to provide her clan and her husband with any heirs… but Soo… Soo was perfectly free to try and succeed where her cousin could not.

She knew what was coming next… she dreaded it. She could feel herself shaking as she sat back down and gripped her seat so tightly that her knuckles hurt. _I'm not supposed to be here. At this rate, I might never get to return home._

"The sons of Taejo are indeed fine men," Hanjae remarked, eyeing each one carefully. "Your reputations precede you. Thirteenth Prince Wang Baek Ah of the fallen Silla dynasty - fair, loyal, celebrated scholar and renowned artist. Tenth Prince Wang Eun, beloved grandson of the late Wang Gyu, married to the daughter of Goryeo's most powerful general…" He turned his gaze upwards, to where Jung stood. "Fourteenth Prince Wang Jung, youngest and most beloved son of the Chungju Yoos… a military man. Tell me, where do your loyalties lie, young prince? Is it with your brothers here, or your brothers at the capital?"

Jung clenched his fist. "With family."

"Ah," Hanjae nodded, as though such a vague answer had satisfied him. "As long as everyone is safe and happy, is that so?"

"I do not want to see any more bloodshed. I wish for things to return to the way they were before father's death," he responded.

"Naive," Hanjae remarked lightly, making Jung glower at him, "but you are young and passionate and have the world at your feet. To have the throne, certain things need to be done, certain - ah, sacrifices are required."

Soo noted that all of her friends were surprised by the turn of the conversation, all except Prince So, who was looking at her strangely, and Prince Baek Ah who was glaring at her uncle, who casually asked, "And what are you willing to throw away, young prince? What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of… 'family'?"

Jung looked unsure of himself for a moment, but then he steeled his nerves and replied softly, "Anything."

"Anything."

Jung spoke louder, clearer, "Anything."

"Even the freedom to choose your own path in life?"

Jung nodded. "Whatever it takes."

"Do you swear it?" Hanjae's lips curled up in an unpleasant smile. "I am a businessman, Prince Jung, I want guarantees; I expect my investments to yield fruitful results. Swear to me now, on your honor as a son of our Great Founder."

Again, Jung seemed to waver. Soo was not surprised… he may not know what her uncle had in mind - yet - but he was young and being forced into a tight corner by a man he wasn't even sure he could trust. But his courage and determination won out. "I swear it."

"Then there is little left to discuss," Hanjae said, turning finally to Prince So. "I will pledge my clan's support, resources and loyalty to your cause… on one condition."

So knew what it was. Judging by the look on Soo's face, it was obvious she knew it too. "Name it and it's yours."

Soo closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.

Hanjae emptied his teacup, raised his voice so his words carried outside the room to his waiting subjects, "The Hae clan acknowledges the Fourth Prince of Goryeo, son of the Chungju Yoos and Shinju Kangs, commander of the army of Grand General Park Sookyung. The Haes…"

Soo's eyes snapped open and she found herself staring across the table into So's equally surprised ones. _But of course… you are Gwangjong, the fourth king to rule after Jeongjong._

All the pieces finally fit.

Images of dead men, mutilated bodies, massacred families flashed through her mind. _I cannot. We cannot. I cannot be responsible for their deaths._

"...propose marriage to Imperial Fourth Prince, Wang So."

 _This cannot be happening._

So was the first to recover from the shock. Everyone else seemed frozen by such a sudden proclamation. Scowling, he said, "You must be out of your mind, old man, if you think I can become king with my reputation."

"Your brother who sits on the throne is making quite a reputation for himself. I daresay, his madness far exceeds your own in the eyes of the many."

So bared his teeth in anger. "I have no desire to become king." Was this a ruse? Another way to set brother against brother?

"Far though we may be, my clan remains cognizant of the happenings in the capital… of the rumors surrounding _you_ , in particular."

"I imagine there are a great many rumors circulating about me. Of which do you refer?" So snapped.

"That among all of Taejo's fine sons, only two were born with stars of kings: his first born, Wang Mu, and, of course, you. The usurper Jeongjong will not last long because he was never meant to rule. He interfered with destiny by taking from Hyejong what was rightfully his. But you, on the other hand, a man of two families, widely acknowledged to be the best fighter in the kingdom, cunning, intelligent, and already with such powerful, loyal subjects surrounding you," Hanjae eyed them all before looking back at So. "With destiny on your side, what can stop you?"

"A man of two families?" So scoffed. "The Yoos abandoned me to the Kangs who mistreated me. I am a son to neither."

"Ah, but without an heir, the Kangs of Shinju are certain to fall. The only question is when? Wealth can only buy so much, after all. But you, who lived with them, you know their weaknesses. You know how to control them. Be their son again. With the Kangs on your side, your influence increases greatly.

"As for your mother's family," Hanjae looked at Jung and smiled, "her heir has just sworn his loyalty. All he asks is you do not murder his family - an easy enough request once they become your greatest supporters."

"I came here to aid my first brother. That is my mission. My goal is to see him back on the throne and I will not be deterred from it." So spoke in a low voice but he looked angrier than Soo had ever seen him. In that moment, she saw clearly why people feared him.

"And to do that, you need our help," Hanjae said matter-of-factly. "I do not mean to stop you from helping your… _king._ But tell me, how much longer do you think Hyejong can last? Oh, yes, Your Highness. I and a great many people know of the illness that plagues His Majesty. You cannot hope to keep it secret once his health starts to deteriorate."

"Careful," So growled, stiffening, "your words are treasonous."

"It is treason enough that I have allowed you to remain alive for so long within my household. As Jeongjong is currently in power, my threat has much more merit than yours. Shall we find out who gets the honor of being executed first?"

For once, So had nothing to say. He had just been beaten at this man's well-thought out game. He could see now that this had been Hae Hanjae's plan all along… he had never intended to return Myunghee to Wook; never intended to surrender them all to the crown. He wanted to align and play his cards to his favor before getting what he wanted. They all walked right into his plans.

"Nightfall. I give you until that time to make your choice," Hanjae said, getting up suddenly. "Choose well, young prince. We would not want any… accidents to happen."

So understood the threat. Hanjae did not want Wook on the throne for the simple fact that he and Myunghee were childless. But that could be changed. So looked at Soo's frightened, miserable expression. Very easily changed.

The master of the house rang his bell once and his small manservant came in. "See to it that Soo and Myunghee make it back to their rooms after lunch. As for our esteemed guests," he smiled without humor, "tell the kitchen master to prepare his finest."

"Yes, master."

He turned and left, and Soo and Myunghee, not knowing what to say, could only stand and follow as they were led out, flanked by guards.

 _He effectively used us as bait to lure you here, then he used us as bargaining tools to get what he wanted… and now he's using me as insurance to make sure his conditions remain that way._

 _How has it come to this?_

"I'm sorry," Myunghee rushed to say the moment they were outside, "I'm so sorry, Soo-yah."

"It's not your fault. You don't have to be sorry," Soo tried for a smile, but was unable to maintain it for longer than a few seconds. "I can't believe he would say that about you."

Myunghee brushed his remark aside. "That doesn't matter right now. You realize what my father is doing? Our uncle has daughters of his own, but despite that, they're offering you to the fourth prince. They expect him to take the throne after Jeongjong, and if he does, you'll be honored as his first queen, and you'll have the entire clan backing you, but…" Now she looked really worried, "our family is a family of businessmen. They take into consideration everything, including the possibility of failure. On the off-chance their mission fails and the prince is captured, you will be executed along with him. You are an orphan. It will be easy for the clan to disown you. They are using you as their scapegoat, someone they can dispense with to avoid retaliation from the crown should the need arise. Soo-yah-"

"I understand," Soo said, feeling sick to the stomach. _Could_ the fourth prince fail? He had already been recorded in history as the fourth king… but she was pretty sure there was nothing there about him having a Hae for a wife. On the contrary, the only woman he's supposed to have children with is his half-sister, the woman who would one day be called Queen Daemok. _Have I changed history by coming here? What world awaits me in the future when I return?_ If _I return…_ "I understand, unnie," she repeated, trying to sound braver than she felt. "I guess… for all our sakes… we'll just have to make sure he succeeds."

 _I'm alive. The future must not have changed. Will I even be able to tell if it has?_

"Hyung-nim… does that mean… you and Soo-yah…?" Eun and everyone else gaped at So, who was feeling annoyed, but also a tad relieved.

"That old goat thought of everything," he said, tapping his fingers on the table, thinking. "He knew what he wanted and how to get it. The bad news is, we're now at his mercy. The good news is, with his clan's help, we can be sure of our mission's success."

"But… if our third brother loses the throne… will you be the one to claim it?" Jung asked.

"No," So replied firmly, looking around at all of them. "The throne will be returned to our first brother, the rightful king. It was father's dying wish and it is the right thing to do. The Haes can place their trust in destiny, but I believe in what I can see, feel, touch. There is no way the people will accept me as their king, and no reason why they should."

"Why not?" Baek Ah whispered. "You have as much right to be king as any of us."

 _Not with this face._ "No, I don't," he said shortly. Without another word, he got up and left the room. The guards made no move to stop him.

.

.

.

It was nightfall when they all met again. Soo and Myunghee entered behind Hanjae, the former looking worse for wear after spending the rest of the afternoon crying in her room - alone, confused, and scared beyond her wits.

"Have we reached a consensus?" Hanjae asked politely, taking a seat.

So avoided Soo and Myunghee's eyes. "We accept your terms."

"Excellent," Hanjae said jovially, not once doubting that they would. "It has been some hours since our last meal and my kitchens have prepared their best for such special guests. Tomorrow, we agree on the time and date. Soo-yah, my dear, have a seat." Soo couldn't help but notice that he had gestured to the seat Myunghee used to take. In his eyes, she has already become more important than his own daughter.

"On the condition that this marriage be kept secret," So added. The room grew very quiet.

"Of course," Hanjae bowed his head in acceptance. "No reason to draw such unwanted, unnecessary attention."

"Everyone in this room, and your clan shall be the only ones to know. Any visitors who come, any business associates… they remain ignorant. Most of all… King Hyejong."

Hanjae bowed his head again. "As you wish. But it _will_ be a marriage, in every way that matters."

Soo knew what that meant and couldn't help blurting out, "But if it's to remain a secret, then… then…" she glanced awkwardly at So, but when she met his eyes, she blushed and lowered her voice so that only her uncle could hear, "then children should be out of the question too? At least… for now…?"

To her great embarrassment, her uncle laughed heartily, as though he found her concerns genuinely entertaining. "My dear, there are ways of consummating without risking conception. You may ask your cousin for advice. It seems she has mastered the art of it."

Soo blushed deeply, embarrassed that he had spoken so loudly, but also enraged at the slight against Myunghee.

Before she can come up with a retort to match her raised hand, So said, "Then we have an agreement."

* * *

 _So in Outlander, Claire and Jaime were forced to marry each other to keep Claire safe and away from Blackjack Randall. For MLSHR... you didn't really think I'd skip our OTP and let her marry Jung again? :P_

 _The plot thickens and begins, finally! Thank you to everyone who left a comment and/or review. I know I haven't been following the events of Outlander and MLSHR to a tee, but that's to keep things unpredictable. There'll be more parallels in the chapters to come. I hope you look forward to them :)_


	15. Intoxicated

In this chapter:

 _But when more time passed with nothing said and nothing being done, she couldn't stand it any longer. If they were going to do this, they might as well do it while she was feeling brave._

* * *

" _There are ways of consummating without conceiving?"_ Soo hissed to herself as she dropped the stack of books she had taken from her uncle's library and rifled through them. The only problem was: she couldn't read. But that didn't stop her from vainly hoping that some traveler like herself had written something useful… somewhere.

Once, in nursing school, their professor had told them to research on contraceptives. She tried to recall what she had written under 'history'. "Lemons… mixing mercury and horse dung and…"

She plopped onto the table and cried. "What about abstinence?!" She couldn't ask Myunghee because of her stupid uncle… and she couldn't ask Soon Deok, who was as clueless as she was… and asking any of the men for help seemed…

She sniffed and stared at the pond fronting the inner garden. Even the weather mocked her. All month long, they had had rain… but this morning, the late autumn sun shone through the thick clouds. "We had condoms and pills in the 21st century. I don't know any other kind of contraceptive," she mumbled. She wondered if the prince would consent to pulling out before he… or maybe…

"Ah!" she yelled in frustration and sat up again. She would never have the courage to even begin such a conversation with him. Just thinking about it made her blush uncomfortably to the roots of her hair. "Just keep studying. If you study hard enough, you'll eventually be able to read all this by next week," she told herself, over and over again.

Soo had never studied so hard in her life. She studied like her life depended on it, which, under the circumstances, it probably did.

"Garlic… cloves… pepper…" she mumbled, tracing the hanja with her finger before attempting to write them on paper.

She was grateful to sanggung for giving her these books… most of all because they were the only ones with illustrations.

She paused and sighed, wondering how sanggung was doing. Was she eating enough despite her illness? Did anyone put hot stones under her sheets to keep her warm, make her porridge out of pine nuts to boost her energy?

"You can't already be… can you?" she sniffed and shook her head. Sanggung had told her not to cry, and she would honor that wish.

"What are you doing?"

Startled, Soo screeched and flinched so badly, her brush flicked ink all over the table.

"Don't do that," she told the fourth prince crossly. Then, remembering who the fourth prince was, she hastily covered all her notes. "I'm… studying."

He looked amused. "Baek Ah told me you were illiterate. I thought he was kidding."

"Well, he wasn't," she snapped, cheeks flaming. "Are you having second thoughts about marrying an illiterate woman?"

When he didn't reply, she looked up. "Are you?" She's confused whether to rejoice or panic. On the one hand, it meant no babies to tie her to this century. On the other hand, it meant death to her friends, and an even more uncertain future for herself and the country.

"You… don't want to marry?" she asked tentatively, and just very awkwardly added, "Me?"

He sighed and pretended to be interested in one of the books from her uncle's library. He has yet to meet her eyes. "I don't really have a choice… but you do."

She frowned. "You're giving me a choice?"

"You've always had it. I'm bound by duty to my king and family. You have no such affiliations, except maybe to Myunghee. You can back out of this marriage… if you want to."

Did she want to? The answer was yes. She knew exactly what her uncle wanted from her, and it was all sorts of wrong because:

1\. She didn't belong in this century  
2\. She had sworn herself off of men because of her stupid ex  
3\. She was being forced to marry someone she hardly even knew

She couldn't even bring herself to think about… how awkward their first night would be…

"I can't back out either," she grumbled at last, looking down at her paintbrush. "I may not be the smartest person here, but I do understand what's at stake. Your mission rests on this alliance… and your lives and the country's future rests on your mission. I can't be selfish and think only of myself."

He gave her an appraising look. He had always known she was perceptive, but he didn't think she would be able to understand the gravity of the situation this quickly without knowing all the elements. "Then you must also realize… that by tying yourself to me… you're accepting whatever consequences result from my actions? My brothers at the capital are not like my brothers here. They are cruel and unforgiving. If they find out you and I are married, they will hang you for treason."

"But only if I'm caught, and only if they find out we're- I mean, our marriage will be a secret, won't it?" At this, she had to voice her concerns. She leaned over towards him, her voice low, "Your Highness… what are the chances of you failing your mission?"

"With your clan's help, not likely."

"Oh! Well, that's a relief!"

"But I don't trust your clan."

"Oh. Well, I suppose that's-"

"And I'm not sure if I can trust you."

She snapped her book shut in irritation. "After all this time?"

He bent over her, leaning into her personal space and making her so uncomfortable, she had to lean away. "You've given me no reason to trust you. I know you're not from here, Hae Soo-shi."

She knew what he wanted from her. He knew her fate was as tied to this marriage as his was, and that backing out would be disastrous for everybody. She would not rise to take his bait. How could she? Tell him the truth about her origins and she's dead for sure. To baffle him, she moved forward and smiled, her sudden proximity forcing him to pull back. "I wouldn't know either, would I? Since I have no memory," she gritted out the last five words. "You know this marriage is inevitable. It's paramount, for all our sakes. Whether we trust each other or not is irrelevant. We'll just have to… live with it."

She found herself feeling hurt and looked away. What would it take to prove to this prince that she meant them no harm?

 _It doesn't matter. You're not here to stay. Get married but don't get pregnant. You can still go home._

She dared not look up. She had something new to add to her list of reasons why this marriage arrangement sucked: she's not sure she could trust her own husband to stand up for her should the need arise. If by chance she were to get captured… would he come rescue her, or leave her to her fate?

She watched him leave from her peripheral vision, and the moment he was out of sight, she stopped writing and tried to relax, but couldn't. The tension in her body was too strong. Even in marriage, she was alone. She wiped the tears from her lashes, then flinched when a hand covered hers.

"What-?" she spluttered, looking up to see the fourth prince bending over behind her. He positioned her hand around her brush and then guided both their hands over a fresh sheet of hanji. He began to write.

"What… what's that?" she stammered. His hand was much bigger than hers, she saw, and rough, the veins pulsating with every movement of the brush.

珠. "Soo."

"S-" she realized that was her name and immediately looked down to see him finishing the character with one final, downward stroke. "Soo? What does it mean?"

"You were named after the Zhujiang river of Qing kingdom. The Pearl River. Soo."

"Soo… Pearl," murmured Soo, watching as he wrote a second character. "And what is that?"

"My name, So. 昭." He let her go. "If we are to be married… you should at least learn to recognize our names."

She stared at the characters before her. It was different from Baek's Ah calligraphy. Being an artist, Baek Ah tended to write with a flourish, his characters well-proportioned and carefully constructed. But So, being a fighter, wrote with brisk, sharp strokes; well-practiced, precise, but without the same amount of care. She held his name up to her face, mesmerized. Beautiful in its own way.

It took a while before she realized he was leaving. "Your Highness!"

He stopped walking but didn't turn around.

"What does it mean? Your name…"

There was hesitation in the momentary silence, but eventually, he replied, "Clear."

Clear. The clear prince? Soo thought it ironic that despite having such a name, this prince would one day baffle even the most learned scholars and professors.

She wondered if she'll ever learn enough about him to tell the professor what he needed to know. At the rate things were going…

She sighed. "Not likely."

* * *

"Does it hurt?" Myunghee asked quietly, fingering the bruise on Baek Ah's neck.

He watched her from up close, her long eyelashes casting shadows against her cheek, her pink lips slightly parted. He could feel her warm breath against his skin, and he had to close his eyes to stop himself from feeling more. "Sometimes."

She sighed and sat back on the wooden floor. "You were careless. It's a miracle you didn't die! Why did you try to engage that man in battle? Nevermind, don't answer that." She wrung dry a towel soaked in warm water and gently began to wipe the remnants of the medicine Soon Deok had applied off his neck. "I asked Soo to make this… she wanted to apply it herself but she's busy studying, and I thought it better to leave her alone for the moment."

Baek Ah didn't reply, just watched as she began to apply a strange-smelling liquid onto his neck.

"Here, drink this… it'll help get rid of the bruise faster." She held up a cup of warm water, infused with a greenish powder. When he drank it, it was so bitter, he almost spat it out.

He coughed and winced when it jarred his throat, but he set the cup down with a sigh of thanks and asked her how her cousin was doing. "I imagine she must be unhappy about the marriage."

"Yes, well… at least she's not running away this time," mumbled Myunghee, cleaning up.

"You're not happy with the marriage either," he observed quietly.

"How could I be?" She looked at him, worry creasing her forehead. "She's young, inexperienced, and she doesn't even know who she is. And all this time, we've secretly been trying to destabilize the throne for a king I thought was dead, and I don't know what my father and uncle are planning, and I don't know for how long we can even keep-"

"Hey," he rasped, tapping her lips with his fan. "The trouble with you, nui, is you worry too much. You always have."

She rolled her eyes. "And the trouble with you princes is you don't worry at all!"

Baek Ah cracked his first smile in days. "Is that what you really think, nui?"

"Yes, that's what I think," she snapped, grabbing the basin and making to get up, but he held her wrist and kept her in place. She looked inquiringly from his hand to his face, wondering if he hurt anywhere else.

"That kiss."

Immediately, blood rushed to her head. She felt embarrassed by the memory of what she did. "It was a mistake."

"Was it?"

She swallowed hard. "I don't know what came over me. I thought we were all going to die and just… it just happened."

He pulled her closer, slowly, never breaking eye contact… She must know how he feels. She must have known for years. He had never hidden the fact from her. "Was that really all it was?"

"It can't be anything more."

"Why not?"

She looked away with difficulty and forced him to let go of her arm. Shaking her head, she said, "I am lacking in many ways. I have nothing to offer you."

"Nui-"

"I'm barren." It hurt her to say it, but it was the truth. Everyone knew it. Her own father had no qualms letting her know how much of a disappointment she was. What use was she as a woman if she couldn't provide her family with children? "As a woman, I can't do anything for-"

"I don't care about that."

She sighed, not sure if he was being serious or just trying to comfort her. "Of course you do. Everyone does."

He laughed, a dry laugh that held no humor. "I have dozens of siblings, nui, and some of them are trying to kill each other over a seat that our father used to own. Some of them have already died from the struggle. The royal family is big enough without me adding to its numbers."

"You think that now, but you'll regret it later on."

"I won't." He looked seriously at her. "I don't want the throne. I don't want riches. I don't want recognition. I just want to be free."

"Your Highness-" He turned away from the title but she pressed on, "you are the most artistic and talented person I have ever met. Prince or not… the world will be a better place with more of you in it. If only the greedy reproduce, what kind of a future will our country have? You have a duty to yourself, and to the country. Not as a prince, but as a human being. And that is something I cannot help you with."

"Then I'll get a second wife," he shrugged, "or a gisaeng. If that's what you want from me, I'll do it. But either way, nui… I don't really care."

She looked uncomfortable, so he took her by the hand and leaned forward until he was directly in front of her and she had no choice but to look up, into his eyes. "You are one of the few people in the world that I really care about. Believe me when I say… as long as I have you, there's nothing more in this world that I will want."

How could he not want children? How could he say these words so openly? "I'm still married to your brother." Something she regretted ever doing. "My family will conceal me from my husband, but they will not annul my marriage. In case things go awry, they'll look to me to ensure the family's survival. They'll send me back to him to resume my duties as his wife."

The thought of Myunghee returning to Wook's side after all Wook had done didn't sit well with Baek Ah, but Myunghee being Myunghee, he knew very well she would feel duty-bound to remain faithful to her husband, even if she no longer loved or cared for him. She was a woman of principles, and it's one of the things Baek Ah loved about her. He swallowed whatever nasty remark he had been about to make and said, "I have faith in my fourth brother. He will make sure our first brother is returned to power, and when that time comes… nui… you can divorce Wook-hyungnim yourself."

"I will pray continuously for that day," she said, smiling softly. "Until then… please just take care of yourself, Baek Ah-nim."

* * *

The day of the wedding approached rapidly. Too rapidly. Soo had not managed to learn anything from her textbooks, especially since her uncle Hae Hajin had recently returned and occupied most of her time with lessons and other wedding preparations.

"It will be a small, but lavish wedding," he told her the one time she had dared to ask a question, "so as to leave as a lasting impression. We have spoken briefly to the princes of their plans. We risk much in the event of failure. It is only right they be reminded who they are indebted to… and why."

He waved a hand and all of the attendants left the room, leaving the two of them alone. Soo bowed her head the way she was taught, so as not to meet his eyes. To her surprise, however, he tied up her wedding clothes, finished what her attendants had not been able to, and then he lifted her chin to force her to look at him. "In three days' time, you will become a member of the royal family. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky you decided to run away when you did. You would have been useless as the wife of a dead king." He pulled her so she had no choice but to take the step needed to close the distance between them. She stared at him in wide-eyed surprise.

"You've always been… so fair, Soo-yah. I thought it a terrible shame when my brother decided to give you to the king. He would not have appreciated your beauty…"

"Uncle," she said, trying not to panic.

"And now, he is convinced that the fourth prince is destined to be king. That scarred beast of a man. I sometimes wonder who the brains in this family really is."

A bubble of indignation burst from within her. "The fourth prince is much more than you think."

"Is he?" It was a rhetorical question - more amused than offended at being spoken to in such a way. "You know what is expected of you. Once you are married, you will be brought to his chambers. You are to stay there until he decides to take you."

She swallowed hard, her hands balled into fists at her side. Would they check her every morning until it happens? "Having a child at this time would be dangerous, don't you think?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry." He released her and walked over to a table to pour himself a glass of liquor made from wild ginseng. "Whatever children you may have will be kept and protected, until the time comes for them to be revealed."

Kept and protected? Soo could hardly believe her ears. "What, you'll take them away?"

When he didn't reply, she thought she might hurl her box of hairpins at him. And in the event Jeongjong wins, or the eighth prince… and Soo and her companions are executed… will the family continue to look after their children, or…?

A small part of her brain knew the answer… it whispered it to her unwilling consciousness: _not likely._

Soo performed the wedding rites mechanically, resigned but not beaten. Outwardly, she appeared calm and collected in her royal blue, red and gold robes. But inside, her brain was working twice as hard, trying to come up with a solution to her predicament. She wasn't sure when during the celebrations she would be brought to the prince's room… but she had to be prepared for when she was.

In the family shrine, she and the prince bowed to her ancestors, paying their respects. She wondered if the real Hae Soo's parents were here. _I may not be your real daughter, but I am protecting your family. Please… help me._

Days of research had yielded nothing, which left only one option… she would have to talk to him. The fourth prince.

Now her husband.

 _Taejo, help me._

The ceremony was lavish, as her uncle had promised. Gold gleamed from every surface; newly made lanterns danced on every corner, every wall, every tree branch; platters upon platters of food were spread out on tables large enough to fit two dozens of men; new hanboks had been made for all the men and women, and if the fourth prince hadn't stopped them, they would have showered the evening skies with fireworks.

Music continually filled the air as they ate, but Soo didn't have much of an appetite. She kept reviewing her speech in her mind, thinking of all the ways she could talk to the prince later, in the privacy of his room. She had just decided to revise everything when her attendants came up to her and asked her to come with them.

 _Shit._

"Remember…" Hae Hajin muttered under his breath, pretending to fix her hair and jewelry. "Your duty."

She couldn't trust herself to speak: she would have told him to go to hell. She couldn't trust herself to move either: she would have banged his head with her porcelain plate.

Without a word, she bowed and followed her ladies away from the festivities and towards the innermost compound. Guards were stationed everywhere, making the long walk leading up to the prince's room feel like a death march.

 _Breathe. Don't panic.  
_

 _Your Highness. Your Highness! Your Highness?  
_ _Shit, what were the words?_

"We have been instructed to help Her Highness undress."

Soo flinched away from them. The longer the clothes stayed on her, the better, she thought. "No, thank you, I can manage. Please leave."

"Please stay still, Your Highness."

"I said get away!" she snarled, pushing their hands away from her body. But of course, she was overpowered in the end. She always was.

Sitting on the prince's bed minutes later, wearing nothing but an expensive silk underdress, she vowed to become stronger. If her plan fails and she becomes pregnant… they can try to take her baby away over her dead body.

She wanted to cry. "I can't have a baby here, with a man who doesn't even love me!"

She grabbed the nearest pillow and pummeled it with her fist, then she put it to her face and let out a muffled scream. It left a smudge of lipstick on the white sheet. Maybe she should have screamed on the bright red bed cloth instead.

The door suddenly opened, and she was so surprised, she got to her feet without even realizing it. She watched with shallow breaths as the fourth prince entered with her attendants in tow. He spread his arms for the women to remove his outer clothing, then he looked at her. He returned her frightened expression with a closed one of his own. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. She couldn't even tell how he was feeling.

Maybe he thought and felt nothing.

Embarrassed, Soo turned around and clutched tightly onto her silk dress to stop herself from shaking.

"Your Highness," she said bravely the moment she heard her attendants leave and lock the door. "Before we… do… anything… I would like to say a few words."

He gave her no response.

"I think, that under the circumstances, having… that is… doing something with the full knowledge of the negative consequences of our actions is very irresponsible and, as we are both adults, would wish to… that tonight, I want for us to be able to-"

Suddenly, a candle flame went out and she whirled in surprise to see him extinguishing all the candles in the room. "Y-Your… what are you…?"

The prince looked almost bored as he went from candle to candle and extinguished each flame with a swipe of his white robe.

"I think we should really talk about this," she said in panic as the room grew gradually dimmer, until all that was left was the candle on the bedside table. He looked like a shadow in white, barring all the windows and doors. "I know that, being just married, certain… activities… are expected of us. But I should inform you that it has been some weeks since I last-" she paused, wondering if talking about menstrual cycles was a taboo in this century. She shook her head. "The point is if we do what you're thinking of doing just to satisfy my relatives, I could very likely get… get…"

She stumbled backwards onto the bed when she noticed him advancing slowly towards her. "Are you even listening to me?" she demanded shrilly, grabbing the red ceremonial blanket and drawing it protectively around her body as she crawled away from him. On hindsight, she realized she should have crawled _away_ from the bed, not deeper into it.

"Children aside, women are - I don't know what they teach you in prince school here - but women are different from men. It takes time and some effort for us to get… get ready." She was grateful it was so dark. She was blushing so strongly and feeling so uncomfortable, it would have been doubly difficult to speak while looking right at him.

And he was so close now. She had reached the end of the bed and could crawl up no further. All she could do was hoist the blanket up, keeping it firmly between them. She felt him get on the bed. Through the candlelight shining through the single gap in the curtains of their marriage bed, she could see his silhouette. She could feel his body heat enveloping her legs as he made his way towards her, over her. She closed her thighs and brought her knees up in reflex. They came in contact with the hard muscles of his chest, but with one hand, he lowered them back until she was suddenly completely supine beneath him, staring into his eyes.

She couldn't move, knowing that a single movement could shatter whatever temporary halt to the proceedings this was. His hand on her knee was growing warmer with every second it spent there, and her body under his felt the same, though at a much slower rate.

He still had his mask on, though his hair was free from its usual bind, falling over one shoulder. She hadn't realized until that moment… how long his eyelashes were, and how formed his lips… nor how sharp his eyes.

Swallowing hard, she said quietly, "For the sake of formalities… we could still…" She couldn't bring herself to say it, not in their current position. "But… for everything else… there are… ways of consummating without conceiving."

There. She said it. More blood rushed to her cheeks, making her feel faint. There was really only one way she could think of right now, and she wondered if he would be able to do it. "I could teach you. Have you… ever been with a woman before?"

For the longest time, they were silent. Since entering the room, the prince had yet to say a word and Soo thought it only fair that he spoke next as she had been doing all the talking up until that point.

But when more time passed with nothing said and nothing being done, she couldn't stand it any longer. If they were going to do this, they might as well do it while she was feeling brave.

She brought her hands up tentatively and touched his face. He flinched and drew back, but she held him fast. And then, gathering her courage, she rose to meet his lips in a light kiss. She could sense his surprise and dared not open her eyes. Instead, she grabbed the garment on his shoulders and held him in place, coaxing him to open up to her. He was going to have to help her. She could feel a tiny itch and a bit of discomfort on her nether regions, but she didn't think it was enough to ensure a smooth, pain-free union. After all, it had been a little over a year since she had broken up with her fiance… and before that, she could barely count the number of times they had been physically intimate, or indeed, remember the last time intimacy between them had resulted in actual penetration.

Thinking it through now, she really should have seen it… should have noticed… how he had used her for her money. She should have known better that during those times when he had refused to bed her, it wasn't because he was worried about her accidentally getting pregnant before they were wed… it was because he was already attracted to another woman.

She couldn't believe she was thinking of that bastard at a time like this.

"Sorry," she whispered, wiping the tears that fell inevitably from her eyes. "I was just… thinking. Sorry, we can try again."

She cleared her throat, breathed deeply and brought her hands up to his face, getting ready to start kissing him again, but before she could, he left her body, turned away and sneezed. And coughed. Rather violently, actually.

"Are you okay?" she asked. She realized her chest was almost exposed and hastily covered herself up. Then she sighed. They would have to start all over again.

He waved a hand in answer.

"You scrimped on your medicine, didn't you? After I told you there was enough for everybody," she said, suddenly remembering. She sat upright, exasperated. "Your cold's gotten worse! I'll bet you have a fever and that's why you're so warm!"

He sighed and waved at her again. "Just… go to sleep."

"Sleep?"

He got up and left the bed. Curious, Soo pulled the curtains back to see him drinking a glass of water

"Should we… try again…?"

"No."

She felt she might go crazy with all her mixed feelings. On the one hand, her body was half-ready for him, but her emotions weren't. On the other, it meant less chances of them slipping up and getting her pregnant, but it also meant the wraths of uncles one and two, and more awkward nights spent in this room together. She felt like her life since coming to Goryeo has been nothing but a series of weighing ups and downs.

"You know they'll send people here tomorrow to check if we… you know."

He coughed. "They can try."

"It needn't take forever. Sometimes, a few minutes is all it takes."

"A few minutes of me sneezing all over you."

That didn't sound appealing to her either. She felt her body temperature drop considerably. "Then what do you suggest?"

"Sleep," he repeated hoarsely, "Soo-yah."

He's said her name before… but this was his first time saying it as her husband. It made her blush.

"Well… alright. Good… good night. Then." Confused, Soo crawled to the left side of the bed and drew the blanket up over her head, squirming uncomfortably as she tried to extinguish the fire in her belly by thinking of her ex. And that damned woman who pretended to be her best friend. And that time she had seen them kissing right outside her place of work. Damn them. Damn them both. Filled with a different kind of fire, Soo shut her eyes, hugged her pillow to herself, and attempted to go to sleep.

So suppressed a sigh, bracing himself against the table to calm down. The past week, and especially the past few hours, have been excruciating times for him. He had never felt so… conflicted in his life. His mind was in turmoil as it battled between duty and honor; between necessity and desire.

Consummating this marriage would have easily given them everything they needed, and yet… he didn't want to do it. Couldn't.

He had spent the day reliving all the horrors of Jeongjong's reign; the cruelty of his mother; the injustices being meted out against the innocents; the corruption amongst the higher ranks of officials. He had been in a sour mood all day because of these recollections. He had wanted to be of firm mind tonight, to be able to do what was required of him to ensure a better future for everyone he cared about.

But upon entering, he was greeted by her frightened eyes. He didn't want to see that look on her face… she had never been scared of him before. So he had extinguished the flames, plunging them into semi-darkness. She spoke, but he hardly heard her. He didn't want to hear and to feel bad… he didn't want to see and to stop; he already felt rotten for agreeing to this in the first place.

He felt her resistance as he came upon her, especially when he lowered her knees and kept her, trapped, beneath him. Still, he proceeded, determined to get it over with. But the lone candle he had left aflame betrayed him. It was enough for him to see her, to look into those doe like eyes.

How lovely she was.

With the yellow light from the candle flickering in her dark hair… how soft and fair the skin of her face was up close… and how warm her body felt beneath him. He could hardly breathe; could hardly think. He could only stare.

It was a shock when she touched him. One touch from her soft hands was enough to send tingles running throughout his body. And when she kissed him, he thought his heart might combust.

Was she willing, after all? Did he not have to take her by force?

Her kisses were insistent, coaxing him until he finally opened up… until he was all but ready to give in. To let go. Her lips were soft and she tasted of wine… and her hair flowed easily through his fingers as he held her face in his palm - as they continued to kiss, as he breathed her in, filling his lungs with the intoxicating smell of roses.

Everything about her tonight sent his blood in a rage and he would have gladly taken her were it not for the sudden wetness on his palm. Opening his eyes, he saw that she had started to cry, and he had no idea why. Perhaps, despite her show of bravery, she remained, after all, fearful. And he couldn't blame her. He sometimes feared himself.

Now, he listened quietly as she fell asleep, as her breathing evened out and she sighed, relaxed at last. He had not been able to do it. He realized he would never be able to do it, not unless she wanted him to.

Because she was different from the rest. She was… special.

And he wanted her willing or not at all.

* * *

 **Ok so Outlander and MLSHR parallels...**

 **So from the previous chapters, you'll know Claire and Jamie of Outlander had been forced to marry each other to keep Claire safe from the redcoats. In this fic, So and Soo were forced to marry to keep everyone safe and to ensure the success of their mission.**

 **The difference: in Outlander, Claire and Jamie consummated their marriage right away on their wedding night. But in MLSHR, it took So and Soo a while before they mutually opened up to each other and gave each other their all. And So had to wait patiently for her for years for that to happen.**

 **And thus we have this chapter xD were you disappointed? hehe**

 **Did you notice any other parallels? :P**

 **Thank you lots for the reviews in the previous chapter! See you in the next :)**


	16. A Light in the Dark

In this chapter:

 _100% SoSoo fluff. And a bit of angst._

* * *

Soo jerked awake in the middle of night, breathing hard as she tried to escape an unknown threat. Her uncomprehending eyes scanned her dark surroundings, and when she couldn't see anything, she felt around her, her fingers immediately coming into contact with the sheer curtains surrounding the bed she was on. Confused, she drew them back.

A window was open, and from it, came pale moonlight.

Soo shied away when she realized there was a man there, standing as still as a statue, only she hasn't seen that many statues from this time.

 _This time._

Ah, right, she was in Goryeo, in the middle of the tenth century. And she had been running from… from…

She sighed inwardly, unable to remember her dream. It was a recurring dream, that much she knew, and one she had trouble remembering while awake.

Especially since now that she _was_ awake, a more pressing memory has invaded her mind…

Hoping he did not notice her, she laid quietly back down, her back to him, fingers on her lips. She wondered if falling asleep so easily and comfortably in a strange bed with a strange man nearby was indecent of her.

But, after all, they were married now and would have to get used to spending more nights with each other like this.

Or perhaps she felt comfortable because she knew, deep down, that he wouldn't really hurt her…

And they'd spent many days and nights in close proximity before while traveling…

And perhaps, most of all… it was because he wasn't really a stranger to her anymore.

* * *

"Do you plan on waking at all today?" a male voice asked, forcing her to wake up.

He sounded near. Cracking open one eye, she saw that he was - sitting on the floor right outside the canopy. She tried not to think of it as a mating bed as nothing of the sort happened the previous night. On the contrary, her wedding night had been rather cold.

She groaned loudly and rolled over, burying deeper into the covers. "And have people poke at me? I don't think so."

"I sent them away."

At this, she sat upright, wide awake. "You did? When?"

"A long time ago."

Frowning, she drew back the red curtains that had been partially blocking out the day, and shut her eyes against the sudden brightness.

"What did you say to them?" she asked, withdrawing to rub her eyes.

"I told them you were indecent."

She stopped moving. She drew back the curtains again. "And they believed that?" She didn't understand… after all, these women had seen her naked before.

He turned his head to frown at her. "Nobody questions the words of a prince." Not when he's grumpy and absolutely refuses to budge, he didn't add.

Soo couldn't believe it: again she had worried over nothing. Still, there was cause to be grateful. "Oh. Okay. I'm confused whether or not I should be thanking you."

"Don't thank me yet. If we leave this room, they'll find some way to pin you down and check."

"Which means we're stuck here. For how long?"

"A few days."

"Days? I was thinking maybe until sundown!" She felt anxious, wondering if she could stand another night like the one before. Or did he mean for them to keep trying until they finally managed it?

He looked at her like she was stupid. "If we had slept together, how long do you think before you stopped hurting?"

"Er…" she mumbled awkwardly, avoiding his eyes, trying to remember her first time. "I don't know. Maybe three days? If… we only… did it a few times… and also… depending on…" She waved her hands vaguely, hoping he wouldn't ask for details. Considering this prince's reputation, the people would no doubt have assumed that he would be the rough sort of lover.

 _Bacon, mushroom and cheese. I can't believe I'm having this discussion right now._ She had never discussed sex so pragmatically before, and certainly not with a man.

Thankfully, he didn't ask for details. "That means we're stuck here for three days at least."

"You know what? I think since we're already doing it, we might as well extend that to a week."

He looked perplexed. _"Doing it?"_

"Not it, it!" she stammered, red-faced from embarrassment. "I meant staying in this room together! Since we agree we ought to hide it out for a while, we might as well make it a week to be absolutely safe."

He was looking at her funny; she wondered if she was being too forward in asking him to spend another week alone with her in his room.

For what seemed an eternity, he remained too stunned and she too embarrassed to break the silence, until finally, no longer able to stand it, she cleared her throat loudly and said, "Do we have any food? I'm starving. I hardly ate anything at the wedding banquet."

"Yes," he replied, snapping out of it. He cleared his own throat and nodded towards the cabinets lining the wall. "They brought it in when they came to check you. It's probably cold by now."

"That's fine, it's not like we always had warm meals while traveling anyway." She fixed her silk robe around herself, gathered her courage, and stepped out of the canopy, trying not to feel too self-conscious as she imagined his eyes following her.

She had just reached the food when he said, "By the way… what is 'okay'?"

The question made her pause, silently cursing herself for that little slip of the tongue. Smiling sheepishly back at him, she replied, "Oh. It's just another word for 'alright'." She brought the tray back to the bed, noticing that the food was untouched, and sat beside him on the floor, the food between them.

She held out the second pair of chopsticks, and after a moment's hesitation, he accepted them.

They ate silently. In her experience, meals spent in this manner could progress in two very different ways: either become more awkward, or more comfortable. She noted with relief and satisfaction that though this meal had started out somewhat awkward, it ended rather comfortably, even though none of them spoke the entire time.

"Your Highness…" she mumbled sometime later, slumping against the bed, "what do you usually do when you're alone?"

"I think."

She couldn't see much fun in that, but to try and understand him better, she decided it was worth the effort to follow his example: keep still and just think. Stare out the window. Think of what?

The gray clouds were back and gathering; it would rain soon, the days very short now, and cold. Some of the trees have completely shed their leaves, and she could no longer hear the birds singing. Everything was still… and silent.

She fell asleep.

* * *

When she came to, she found herself curled up on the floor, the red blanket tucked around her, and their tray of food gone. But he was still there, sitting in the same spot.

So much for thinking.

Embarrassed, she sat up. "Have I been asleep long?"

"All afternoon."

That was something. The rain and the nimbus clouds accounted for the gloom both outside and inside the room. But it wasn't unpleasant. On the contrary, Soo had always liked rainy days - as long as there was a roof over her head. "Did you sleep?"

"No."

She eyed him wryly, remembering how she had found him awake in the middle of the night last night. "Do you _ever_ sleep _?"_

He didn't answer right away. "I don't sleep well."

Something about the way he said it - softly but with a hard edge to his voice - made her want to ask why. But she didn't know if he would answer her, and she didn't want what comfortable whatever this was they had between them to disappear by asking awkward questions. So she came up with a plan. As it was getting dark and no one had come to light their candles (inarguably part of her uncles' plan to get them mated sooner rather than later), she would have to wait for tomorrow to do it.

"If you're hungry, they brought in more food while you were asleep," he informed her, nodding towards the same cabinets from earlier.

She sighed. "Well, we should use the remaining light wisely."

The rest of the evening would be spent in absolute boredom, in the dark, in contemplative silence. When Soo awoke on their second day, she decided she'd had enough of sleeping and thinking.

"Thinking makes me sleep. What say you to a game?" She clambered off the bed and sat on the floor directly in front of him.

He frowned at her. "A game?"

"Rock, paper, scissors!" she told him, holding up her hand in demonstration. "I think it's about time we got to know each other. Don't you agree?"

He was back to looking at her like she was crazy, but she was undeterred. "Rock… paper… scissors," she explained, showing him the corresponding signs. To speed things along, she took his hand and balled it into a fist, ignoring how he had flinched at her touch.

"Rock," she repeated, showing her own fist. She poked at his and opened her mouth to say-

"Rock, I get it." He wondered what she was thinking of doing now.

"Paper." She spread her palm and fingers wide open and did the same for his. She had seen his hand this up close only once before: when he had taught her how to write their names. But this time, as she straightened his long fingers and felt his roughened palm… she felt clearly just how different they were.

Her hand was small, white, soft and smooth. His hand was large, suntanned, hard and rough, and there were little, old scars that she suspected had been from when he was learning how to wield a variety of weapons.

Once, when she was a young girl, her mother had told her to take care of her hands so that when she got older, they would remain beautiful. Her mother had had rough, calloused hands - the result of years of hard labor, living in the North. But Soo didn't think her mother's hands were ugly, for every line, every scar had told a story - her mother's story.

Looking at the prince's hands, she imagined she could see his story, too. She wondered if, someday, he would willingly tell her about himself.

She realized she had been staring and quickly cleared her throat. "Paper."

"Paper."

"Lastly… scissors," she mimed cutting off his thumb and grinned. "Paper covers rock. Rock smashes scissors. Scissors cuts paper. We hide our hands and show each other our choices at the same time. Whoever has the advantage lets the other do whatever he or she wants. Fair enough?" She wondered if he understood that.

"Whatever he or she wants," he repeated, eyeing her seriously.

She didn't know why she blushed. Perhaps it was the way he said it… that made it sound like he was implying… something not quite innocent.

She hadn't thought of that at all when she suggested the game… but if events were to escalate in that direction… she reasoned at least she was comfortable and better prepared to guide him this time.

Assuming he needed guidance.

"Yes. Pinky promise." She hooked her pinky around his and said seriously, "We do whatever the other wants. Deal?"

He brought up their entwined fingers with a look of the utmost confusion on his face, making her laugh out loud. "That's a deal, then! Shall we start?"

"What happens if we both have the same sign?"

She was impressed by how quickly he was able to grasp the mechanics of the game. "We keep showing different signs until one tops the other."

"Ah."

"Deal?"

He frowned, hearing that word again. Did she make these words up by herself? "Deal?"

"It means do we have an agreement?"

"Ah. I guess so."

"Great!" she beamed, readying herself. "On three. Rock, paper, scissors… one, two, three!"

She laughed theatrically, feeling triumphant as she slowly crushed his scissors. "Ok. What I want…" she mumbled in thought. Small things first. "Tell me your favorite tea."

"Of all the things you could have asked me… my favorite tea?"

She glared at him. How dare he mock her generosity? "Shall I ask a more personal question like why you wear that mask?"

He's stumped. "Fresh leaf tea."

"Interesting…" she mumbled, taking mental note. "Ok, again. Rock, paper, scissors, one, two, three!"

Her shoulders slumped in dismay to see him covering her rock. He was a fast learner. "You win this round. Fire away!"

" _Whatever_ the person wants, you said? That includes doing something, not just answering questions?"

She blushed in horror, wondering if he was thinking of going straight for the goal.

But all he said was, "Pull up your robe."

She looked down and saw that a bit of her collarbone was showing. "That's it? Anything in the world and you ask me to cover up?"

"Then shall I ask you to take it off?"

"It's up," she said quickly, grabbing the red blanket next and wrapping it around her. She wished she had proper clothes.

* * *

"One, two, three! Yes!" she laughed, drunk with happiness. "You're terrible at this. Okay, I want to know who your first friend was."

"My eldest brother, Mu."

"Interesting," she sang, adding that piece of trivia to her stockpile. So far she's gotten him to tell her his favorite tea, his favorite snack, his favorite color (she regretted asking this as it was pretty obvious through his clothing and personality that he preferred black), his favorite food, favorite animal, and now his first ever friend. She was slowly moving into personal territory and was very eager to ask her next question.

"Rock, paper, scissors… one, two, three!" she chanted. Of course, occasionally he did manage to win.

"Do you really not remember anything from before you met us?"

Confidently, truthfully, she nodded. She reasoned that he hadn't specifically said "anything from this time" and could therefore say with honesty, "Really nothing."

"Then how did you end up in Lake Dongji?"

"Hey! One at a time!" she reminded crossly, stuffing his mouth with a whole mushroom as punishment. Their lunch had been sent over about an hour ago, and it was lucky she had draped the blanket over herself because it left a lot to the imagination. Did she have any clothes under the blanket, or was she completely naked? Taking into account her disheveled appearance, she hoped the ladies had assumed the latter.

"... one, two, three!" She won again. "Tell me your earliest memory."

He had to think hard about that one. Quietly, he answered, "The death of our second brother. I was in a room with the crown prince and my mother. Father came in. Hyungnim and I watched as they argued."

"Oh. I'm sorry about your brother." But she felt there was more to the story that he wasn't sharing. "The crown prince… now King Hyejong?"

He made no reply, looking like he was lost in recollections of that day, and she kept quiet, deciding to give him the space he needed.

She was busy studying the pattern on the red blanket when a mushroom came out of nowhere and found its way into her mouth. Almost choking, she glared at him.

"You asked two questions."

She rolled her eyes, chewed as fast as she could, and swallowed. "I was only clarifying!"

"A question is a question, and I think we've asked enough for one day." He stood and got on the bed. "Wake me if someone tries to come in."

Though disgruntled at not being able to ask any of the real questions she had wanted to, she nevertheless said, "It _is_ about time you got some real sleep. I'll just sit here and… think."

About the fact that, apart from that first night, he's so far managed to avoid getting into bed with her.

She also realized that he hadn't asked her to tell him anything about herself. All of her questions had been to get to know him, but all he did was ask her to do menial tasks like get water or fix the bed, or to ask about how she and Myunghee had been treated before the rest came, or about how she came to be in Cheondeokjeon palace.

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, she drew back the curtain to find him on his back, arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed. He had a perfect side profile, with a long nose, sharp eyes, perfectly carved lips. And his ear. She wondered if he would mind her touching it.

Maybe when they're better acquainted… whenever that will be.

She sighed and let the curtain fall back into place.

But she doubted he was interested in her. That was a depressing thought.

* * *

Soo lamented the lack of proper toilets and flowing water. And toiletries. And electricity. Exiting the potty chamber, she used her hands to guide her around the chilly, dark room.

"This is ridiculous. How do they expect us to do anything without light?" she grumbled, bumping into the bed frame with an audible, "Oof!"

She managed to circumvent it without further mishaps, but forgot about the dinner tray on the floor and ended up tripping over it. With a scream, she tumbled forward, but a hand caught her and pulled her upright.

And he felt warm. It felt like years since she'd last felt any form of warmth and begrudgingly congratulated her uncles on their wisdom of keeping their room complete dank and chilly, because she couldn't help but find this sudden rise in temperature very alluring.

But then he let go, and to hide her embarrassment and cold feet, she immediately got into bed and wrapped the sheets around her.

"Aren't you at all cold?" she asked, wondering how he could stand to sleep on the cold, hard floor. It wasn't like they had agreed on it, and it wasn't like he was unwelcome to share the bed. After all, it was large enough for three people, which meant they could keep a decent amount of space between them while they slept.

"I'm used to it."

"You know," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "I always assumed that royalty… that you would have lived in comfort all your life." It wasn't really a question, but she hoped he would tell her what she wanted to know.

For a long time, she thought he wouldn't… but then, surprisingly, he humored her, "When I was four, my parents sent me off to live with the Kangs of Shinju. The mistress there had lost her baby. I was meant to be its replacement."

She tried to put two and two together. "Were they nice to you?"

There was a moment of bitter silence before he replied, "No."

"Oh. Did they… hurt you?"

His silence was answer enough.

"But you're a prince," she said, feeling indignant on his behalf. "Weren't they scared of what your parents might do if they found out?" A terrible thought hit her. "Did they never know?"

"They knew."

The surprise she felt on hearing this was no match for the anger. She could never, _never_ forgive an adult for abusing an innocent child, and parents condoning it was just as bad.

"Children of the royal family are commodities. Either we fulfill our purpose or we die." He said it so casually, so matter-of-factly, she would have thought he didn't care were it not for the evident anger in his voice.

But Soo was stubborn and her anger was making her forget the cold. "Fine, let's forget your father… what about your mother? My mother would have never allowed anyone to hurt me!"

To her surprise, he laughed, a bitter sort of laugh that scared her because not only had she never heard him laugh before, but it sounded… in a word, crazed. "My mother wishes me dead. I am dead in her eyes."

That made Soo inexplicably sad; a sadness punctuated by the hurt in his voice despite the laughter. What kind of mother would want her own child dead? Soo could not understand it.

"You know I… once killed a hundred of her assassins to protect her from my father. She called me a monster and threw me out." He laughed again, not knowing why he was telling her all this. He had never told anyone, not even Baek Ah. Some things were just not meant to be shared.

He both loved and hated the dark. It was his refuge and his prison… the one place he could turn to that was familiar, that he always sought to escape.

He thrived in darkness, and his greatest fear was that he would one day die in it. Maybe he really was a monster.

Soo had been quiet for some time now, and he thought maybe he had finally managed to scare her off. He thought it just as well as no one had ever asked him such trivial questions as she did earlier and he didn't know how many more of them he could answer, or if he even wanted to.

He inhaled one shaky breath, hoping she wouldn't hear it over the sound of the rain beating against the walls and roof. The wind had picked up, and the rain was stronger. Though he didn't mind the elements, he got up anyway to close the open window, plunging them further into darkness… and silence. He clutched at the windowsill, and leaned his forehead against the wooden panes, willing himself to forget what he had just remembered.

"Will you sleep on the bed tonight?" Her voice was a whisper, so quiet, it might have been the wind playing tricks on him.

She waited but he neither moved nor said anything. She drew the curtain of their bed back to let him know she was being serious, and then scooted back to her side, wondering if he would take her offer.

He was confused. He had just told her something of his history, something that would have driven anyone away in disgust, much more a woman. "I just told you I killed a hundred men in cold blood."

His confession had scared her, probably less than the thought of what he could potentially still do… but she knew what his future held. If his past was just as bloody, she could only hope to save his present.

"But you didn't do it for fun," she told him quietly. "You did it to save your mother. Your intentions were pure. You were a better person than her that night."

Her words surprised him, so much that he found it hard to understand her. Or was it she who didn't understand him? "My mother has had hundreds killed for the throne. She rules beside my brother now. Letting her live means I am responsible for the killing of thousands of innocents."

That did put things into perspective. Swallowing hard, she said, "But you didn't save her so she could go on killing. You saved her because you loved her." You didn't want to be dead in her eyes. "You wanted her to acknowledge you. You cannot blame yourself for her choices. Her actions are her own."

He didn't know what to do or think. "Why are you telling me this? Are you saying murder can be justified if done with good intentions?"

That was a tough question to answer, but she had to answer truthfully. "I don't mean to say what you did was right. Eventually, you will have to pay for it, however… I know why you did it and… I understand."

"You understand?" he scoffed, half-laughing. How could she possibly understand?

"I understand that this is a place where you sometimes have to kill in order to survive," she interrupted softly, stilling him. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to live."

Her words struck him. Was she being sincere? How could she not be repulsed? How could she ask him to spend the night by her side?

As though she had read his thoughts, she said suddenly, "I just don't want you to sleep on the floor."

He was finding it very hard to think. If he had been conflicted on their first night, there were no words to describe how he was feeling now. "Why?" was all he could say.

"Because…" she whispered, turning over to face the other wall, "you're my friend."

He didn't know how long he stood there, numb and slightly disoriented, unsure of what to do or what had just happened. Recollections of the past had begun to haunt him, as he had known they would when he had first decided to open up. He used to allow them passage into his soul, to torment as he believed was their right; his punishment…

But this night, as his demons neared, for the first time in a long time, he sought refuge with the living. He wanted to.

With the curtains drawn back, the bed had grown much colder. He knew she was asleep, curled up on her side, and shivering. As she was wearing nothing but a silk robe, it was no wonder she felt so cold all the time.

Slowly so as to avoid waking her, he got into bed and drew the curtains shut. He imagined that doing so meant his demons remained at bay, just hovering out of reach of him. In this little refuge, there really was no one else but her.

It didn't take long before his body heat eventually drew her to him. He laid there, shocked and still as the bedpost, as her instincts searched for him, for the relief from the cold that only he could give her.

One soft hand clutched at his side. Her head dipped into his arm, and she sighed in her sleep when his warmth reached her face. And then, just when he had reconciled himself to the thought of falling asleep in this manner, she stretched and draped one leg over his, her bare foot snuggling in between his covered ones. She had raised her head too, so that her even breathing suddenly tickled the base of his neck.

"You son of a bitch…" she grumbled suddenly, thumping her fist on his arm strong enough to make him flinch. "Damn you… damn you to hell…"

The next time she raised her fist, he grabbed it and held on. He didn't understand what she had just said, but she was obviously angry… at someone. He knew she was plagued by bad dreams. Frequently, he had witnessed her gasping in the middle of the night, or else sitting up anxiously, as though afraid. He wondered what her fears were, and whether or not they had something to do with her past.

"Ice cream…" she murmured, actually purring as she stuck her body ever closer to him.

Evidently, her bad dreams have gone, signaling the start to his own nightmare, because whatever this ice cream was, it was doing nothing for his temperature. He felt like his face and ears were on fire, his body able to feel every outward and inward curve of hers, plastered against him the way she was. He decided he had to set a boundary now before things got out of hand, so he grabbed his pillow, forced it between them, and tried not to think about how her leg was making its way up his.

This was going to be another long night.

* * *

When Soo woke the next day, the first thing her foggy brain did was to congratulate her on not freezing to death. In fact, and she quickly noticed this with a wave of raw shame, she found she was comfortably snuggled against a warm body. As she had had but one companion for days thus far, she had no trouble recognizing just whose warm body it was.

As carefully as she could, she disentangled herself from him… and that's when she saw him holding her hand. She blushed, wondering what on earth had happened last night, if anything had happened at all. Did the cooks lace their food with a kind of drug yesterday? She could have sworn she had fallen asleep by herself, tucked safely away on the other side of the bed. She took inventory of her body. Nothing seemed to be amiss.

But what was she doing all the way over here? Did she perhaps… roll over on her own?

While trying to take her fist out of his grasp, she suddenly heard footsteps outside their door. The prince must have heard them too because he moved in his sleep, and Soo, for reasons unknown, plunged back into bed and closed her eyes, trying to act natural.

A knock on the door woke him. He sat up, found her hand still in his, and let go. Soo grumbled something about loud noises and rolled away. He watched as she brought the blanket up over her head and stopped moving.

"Your Highness."

Soo's heart was banging so loudly in her chest, it was a miracle Prince So, with his sharp ears, couldn't hear it. She laid as still as she could as he got off the bed and walked to the door.

She could hear him talking to some people, and a few minutes later, the door closed.

"Did you sleep well?"

His question was said casually enough, but it sent her nerves flying all over the place. How did he know she was awake? Had he been secretly awake the entire time? Should she answer or keep silent?

"If you're still cold, there's hot soup."

Soup. Hot soup. She decided to drop the pretense. Clearing her throat, she replied, "I er… slept very well, thank you." Was that the right thing to say to someone whose body she had just used as a makeshift furnace? "And you?"

"I don't sleep."

She rolled her eyes. He had obviously been asleep when she had woken up earlier. She was tempted to tell him so, but she felt it was awkward and just shut up.

Gathering herself, she left the bed and found him seated on the table, sipping a cup of tea. He didn't look disturbed in the slightest, which made her think, hopefully, that maybe he hadn't noticed her body's shameless stunt last night.

Mustering her dignity, she sat down opposite him, feeling happier as her hands cupped her warm bowl.

"This is our first time eating at this table," she remarked casually, taking a sip. Chicken soup. Fresh and hot and a perfect way to start her day.

"Our first time sleeping in the same bed, too."

She coughed, spilling some soup onto the table. She wondered if he was teasing her. Or testing her. "Yes, well. Um… thank you for…" She panicked. _Thank you for what?_ "For… sleeping."

Embarrassed, she hid her flaming face behind her bowl.

He sounded amused when he said, "I didn't get much sleep last night."

She decided she would have to come clean about waking earlier than him. "I saw you sleeping. I woke up earlier than you."

"Was I sleeping?"

She fell silent. Should she ask why he had pretended to be asleep? Or perhaps why he hadn't pushed her away or woken her up earlier?

Slowly, she lowered her bowl and saw that he wasn't looking. Still, she knew she had his undivided attention.

"Why didn't you er… wake me up?" she asked, immediately hiding again when his eyes traveled to her.

"I tried."

'You did?"

"I even pinched your nose."

She pouted and felt her nose. "And what happened?"

"You got angry." He poured himself another cup of tea. "Threw away the pillow I had put between us."

"Oh." That explained why it was on the floor. "And er… how long were we…" she waved a hand, trying to find the right words, "were we in that… was I stuck-?"

"All evening."

 _Oh my god._ She groaned, put down her bowl, and covered her face with her hands. "I am so sorry."

"You move and talk a lot when you sleep."

"Do I?" she mumbled. Growing up with both her parents, and then her uncle, she'd always had a bed of her own… and as an adult, her boyfriend had lived in a separate apartment… which meant she had never learned to share a bed with anyone. "And did I…" _Just say it_ , "did I drool on you?"

"I don't think so."

She heaved a much needed sigh of relief.

"Your kicks don't hurt as much as your punches."

She gaped at him in alarm. Kicks and punches? "Did I hurt you?"

He snorted - the idea of such a little woman physically hurting him was ludicrous. "No."

That must be why he had held her hand. Soo felt so horrified, she couldn't find the words to begin her apology. "I can make you a salve," she offered instead in inspiration. "Or if I find the right herbs, I can mix you up a really good hot bath. It'll soothe any ache you have, and you'll come out completely fresh and revitalised and smooth as a baby's bum."

It was his turn to cough out liquid.

"Would you like me to give you a massage?" she offered eagerly, leaning forward.

"Soo-yah, I was kidding." He brushed off drops of tea from his white robe.

She glared at him. She didn't know what made her do it… perhaps it was a combination of indignation and embarrassment… but she grabbed his pillow off the floor and threw it at him.

Unfortunately, he must have also had a crash course on pillow-catching because he caught it. Easily. "I wasn't kidding about the punching."

"Oh?" she said stiffly, feigning indifference as she began to eat. "What a shame. My apologies for whatever bruises you might have."

He scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. A child could punch harder than you."

"Ah, but after all, your arms are quite soft." She relished the indignation on his face as she whispered, "I might have caused some internal damage."

She really should have expected the pillow. She grabbed it, contemplating whether to throw it back or just get up and whack him good with it, but then she noticed something that made her stop.

"You look human when you smile."

"I am human."

"More human, then." She put a piece of meat on his rice and lowered her voice, "Maybe instead of killing all those people, you could have just smiled at your mother more. That would have saved you a whole lot of trouble and emotional baggage."

He couldn't believe how casually she was talking about one of the worst nights of his life. "After everything I told you last night… how can you not be afraid of me?"

She cocked her head to the side, wondering if that was a rhetorical question. They'd had this discussion before, she was sure of it. "I told you… you're my friend."

"Eun and Jung are my brothers and even they're afraid of me."

She shrugged and cleared her throat. "Well, because now, you're also my… my h-… my h-" She inhaled and tried again. "You're my h- oh, you know!" She was finding it hard to say… because he wasn't her husband. Not technically. Not yet.

He narrowed his eyes.

"By default, I shouldn't be afraid of you," she explained matter-of-factly, "or it'll be grounds for divorce, and if we divorce right now, we'll all die so… since we can't get rid of each other, we might as well live with each other." She put a piece of scrambled egg beside his untouched piece of meat. "And that includes sharing. Eat up, _dear_ , we have a whole day of nothing to look forward to."

He found it vaguely funny how she expected him to eat when all he could do was stare, dumbfounded as he had never been in his life.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

She smiled sweetly, picked up his piece of meat with her chopsticks, and shoved it into his half-open mouth. "I'm your wife."


	17. Moon Lovers

In this chapter:

 _She was going to die. She just knew it._

* * *

"What could they be doing in there?" Soondeok asked on the morn of the fourth day. "When the tenth prince and I were married, he couldn't wait to get out of the room."

Myunghee wondered if she ought to tell the young woman just what Soo and the fourth prince _could_ be doing. "Probably just getting to know each other."

"They can do that _outside_ the room, surely?" Soondeok shook her head, trying and failing to get back to her work. If Soo were here, Soondeok could have taught her how to fight, and then they would not have had to keep making all these clothes.

"Good morning," Baek Ah greeted brightly, rounding the corner of the gazebo with Eun in tow. He squinted across the pond and saw that the window to _their_ room was closed. "Ah," he remarked in amused spirits, "what say you, nui? Do you think it finally happened?"

Myunghee wondered the same thing. She did not like the thought of Soo being forced into physical intimacy, but it seemed as though the two had waited a time and therefore hoped that whatever happened between them had been consensual. "The ladies reported seeing Soo in nothing but their blanket yesterday," she informed him with a knowing look.

"Oho!" he clapped his hands as he sat down. "And how did she look? Did they find her happy, sour, frightened?"

"She was on the floor, and they said she looked happy enough."

Baek Ah burst out laughing. "Frisky! Well, with her nature and his temperament, I can't imagine they'll be satisfied with just the bed. The cold floor does seem like a more appropriate avenue."

"Yah, keep your voice down," Myunghee chided, her lip twitching. "That is not an appropriate thing to say!"

"Why? There is no one around but you and me, and these two who are married," Baek Ah said, staring pointedly at Eun, who was as red as a mating blanket and considerably less experienced.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Soondeok admitted blankly.

"Pay no mind to Baek Ah," Eun snapped, shoving his brother's shoulder forward and getting up. "He likes to joke around."

Baek Ah hurriedly excused himself to chase after Eun. "Hyung, come on. You've been married for years. At this rate, Soo will get pregnant well before you've even touched Soondeok!" He grabbed Eun's arm and pulled him to a stop. "I thought you loved her."

"I do," Eun said defensively.

"Then what's stopping you?"

His brother looked uncomfortable. "It's just…" he sighed, "she's so innocent. She grew up sheltered by her father, in an army camp full of men! I sometimes wonder how she doesn't know what mating is. I even tried leaving some… books… lying around grandfather's place, but then I learned that she isn't one to read. I've pointed mating animals out to her, even passed by a gisaeng house once and… nothing. I tried _helping her undress,_ " he said it with a look of absolute astoundment, "she flipped me over her shoulder and wrestled me until I apologized."

Baek Ah was stumped. All this time, he had thought the problem was his brother's lack of initiative, rather than ignorance on the part of his wife. Because Eun was right… there was no way a woman could grow up in an army full of men and remain ignorant about coupling, unless she was extremely - _extremely_ \- sheltered. Knowing Grand General Park's protectiveness over the poor girl, it was not a far-off assumption.

His poor hyung was repressed. It was no wonder he tended to lash out.

In a gesture of support, he cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around Eun's shoulders. "We'll just have to… expose her to the intricacies of married life. Gently. How often do you kiss her?" The redness of Eun's nose told him… not often. In fact, probably never. With a sigh, he glanced up at the grey morning sky. "Cold weather today, is it not?"

.

* * *

.

Soo was this close to abandoning all self-respect.

It was no longer a question of decency, or awkwardness. It was a matter of survival. She may be immune to most diseases from this century, but she could still very well freeze to death.

The upside was… the prince no longer felt… very distant. He was not as cold as he used to be, ironically. The colder the weather became, the warmer he was, and not just physically, though that was good, too.

Listening to him talk, watching him write words on the floor between them… she thought to herself that he was rather charming. She always did have a weakness for smart men.

 _Whoa, no. Rewind. You're not supposed to get too attached to this life._

A sigh made her straighten up at once.

"Yah, are you even listening?"

"Yes, of course."

"Your eyes were unfocused."

"I was… concentrating."

The prince was no fool. Looking irritable for the first time in a while, he got up, but she grabbed hold of him.

"Your Highness," she said, barely able to suppress a shiver from escaping her lips when her blanket slipped off her shoulders. "I'm sorry. No matter how hard I try, I just… I can't see the invisible characters you're writing on the floor. I have very poor imagination."

Her pitiful look and self-deprecation almost made him laugh. Hiding his amusement behind a scoff, he sat back down and drew her hand to him.

She felt tingles when his finger began tracing lines on her palm. "Each character represents a word. This character is the sun… 日. Day." He jerked his head towards the closed window. "Just imagine the sun rising beyond that window, signaling daytime."

She retraced the word on her palm with a frown. "But why would there be a line in the middle? Shouldn't it be like this? 口." For that was how the window in the room looked.

"That's the character for mouth," he explained.

"But see, if you lift your tongue and open your mouth wide like this… then it'll look more like the character for sun. I think it should be the other way around. Are you teaching me right?"

One look at his dour expression and she immediately retracted. "But of course there are many types of windows, and I can't imagine anyone actually speaking with their tongues raised like that, so you're probably right."

A corner of his lips twitched but he decided to ignore her comments and continued, "If you add the sun to this character, you get warmth. 暖."

"What does it mean without the sun? 爰."

"To lead."

He can see by her blank look that she's trying to understand it. "The sun brings warmth. This character is made up of other characters, too. This at the top is a claw 爪, over the character for friend 友, so-"

"The sun… chasing after a claw that is holding up a friend… is warm?"

It sounded silly when she said it like that.

"Forget the claw, just think of how the day is warmer when you have a friend around."

The night could be warmer with a friend, too. _Friendship. Warmth._ No two words have ever sounded so good to her numb ears.

She was still trying to think of a way to get him to sleep with- beside her later. Should she shamelessly ask him like she did last night, and then slowly cuddle up to him, without saying anything? Should she seek his permission first? Should she make a list of all the reasons why having her freeze to death on their marriage bed was a bad idea?

Bother. Who knew this aspect of married life could be so complicated?

"Your eyes are unfocused again."

She snapped to attention. "Sorry."

He sighed. "I think we've covered enough for one day."

It was a pity he thought so as she found she liked having him write on her palm. Also, the halting of lessons meant they were back to doing nothing.

"It's getting dark, maybe that's why I'm getting drowsy," she said, walking to the window, thinking she would rather enjoy the last few hours of cold light than endure additional hours in pure, cold darkness.

With a grunt, she forced the window open and slowly inhaled the chilly, fresh air. She looked at the dark waters of the pond far below, wondering how deep it was, and if there were any fish left alive.

And that's when she saw them.

She saw the first over the pond water's reflection - a little snowflake undulating in the air, leading the descent of thousands. Surprised, Soo looked up in time to see a mosaic of white crystals against the grey sky.

"Omo," she couldn't help but gasp, stretching out a hand in the hopes of catching one, a difficult feat despite there being so many. They swayed and danced and generally kept out of her reach, but she didn't mind. She liked the challenge. "Wah, it's so beautiful…"

Seeing her so enthusiastic made So wonder if this was her first time seeing snow since she lost her memories. She was completely engrossed in them and seemed to have forgotten all about how cold she was, a state augmented by the darkening of her pale lips.

With an inward sigh, So stood behind her, bracing himself against the window frame and eyeing the vestiges of that year's first snow. This was not his first time seeing it, and he knew it would not be his last. The first snow only served to remind him of the cold days of his past, and the colder days to come, but her enthusiasm was catching, and he had to hide a smile.

When she turned abruptly, he flinched and took a step back, but then he saw the pure joy on her face as she beamed at him, palm spread out in front of her to reveal a tiny crystal melting into her skin. Her bright eyes moved up to look into his. "Snow. What's the character for snow?"

He took her hand gently but firmly, noticing how cold it was, and began to write. 雪. "The first is rain 雨."

She nodded. That made sense. "And the one under it? Wind? Cold?"

He really did smile then. "彐. Snout."

"What?" she exclaimed, flabbergasted. When she saw that he was smiling, she couldn't help but admonish, "Now I know you're making fun of me."

"I'm not," he promised, forcing down his laughter. It was a foreign feeling - this sudden desire to laugh. He was not entirely sure he knew how to. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had done so… but he supposed he must have, a long time ago.

"How do rain and snout make snow?" she demanded shrewdly.

He swiped a finger across her nose and shut the window. "Your nose is dripping and your lips are blue. Focus on staying alive first before you start questioning how the world works."

Thus reminded of how frozen she was, Soo hitched the blanket back around her shoulders and clambered into bed, burying deep beneath the covers in the hopes of finding even just a modicum of warmth. The first snow was a beautiful sight… but the cold it brought with it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

Try as she might not to, she found herself thinking of modern heaters, hot showers, furnaces, hot coffee. Ah, she hasn't had coffee in so long. She vowed then and there that the first thing she would do upon returning to her time would be to get herself a cup of freshly brewed, hot coffee.

Assuming she could live through tonight, something she seriously doubted. She was going to die. She just knew it.

No sooner had she thought this than the space beside her dipped, and the blanket lifted, buffeting her temporarily with frigid air, before falling into place again.

Her heart leapt. It was now or never.

 _At least_ , she reasoned to herself in an attempt at optimism as she edged ever so discreetly his way, _you didn't have to lure him into bed this time._

"Did you know," her teeth chattered, "that men have… more blood in their bodies… than women?"

He was silent for a moment. "We are bigger."

"Yes. Exactly," she agreed. "That means that… nature… made you to be warmer than women."

He grunted, knowing where she was going with this statement - literally, which meant he was mentally and physically prepared by the time she reached him.

"It is a fluke of nature and must be shared with the less fortunate," she declared stoutly. The poor thing was shivering so badly, he didn't have the heart to refuse her. Not that he was going to, in any case, as he much preferred alive Hae Soo to frozen Hae Soo.

It seemed that no amount of squirming and burrowing on her part was thawing her out quickly enough, and So, afraid that her restless limbs might encounter aspects of his person that he knew neither of them currently wished to acknowledge, decided to help her.

"Keep still and just breathe," he instructed, keeping his arm firmly about her shoulders and lifting the sheets up to cover her head.

Soo would never say it out loud… but she liked this new sleeping arrangement quite a lot. Her 21st century body just was not used to sleeping in forests, in moist caves, on rocky terrain, sometimes wet with rain and plagued by insects. On many occasions, she had cried for her soft, warm bed with its soft, warm sheets and pillows, wondering if she was ever going to get a good night's rest ever again…

But this night, with the silk and cotton sheets around them, his arm warming her back, the rest of his body warming her front, and the strong beating of his heart warming her ear and face, she discovered to no surprise and a bit of sheepishness on her part that she felt completely content and comfortable.

Thinking it would be unbecoming of her to fall asleep in that fashion without saying anything, she uncovered her head and looked up at him, trying to see his face in the suddenly very dense blackness. Evidently, the sun had finished setting whilst she was being warmed. "Your Highness," she began, but paused. What she should say? Would a thank you suffice?

However, he spoke first. "Better?"

"Much," she replied at once, then paused again, wondering if admitting to this improvement in her circumstances meant it was time for her to go - back to her uninvitingly cold side of the bed.

With more than a tinge of regret, she thanked him and made to sit upright, except his hand on her shoulder pulled her back down again.

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, I was just… going to…" she twisted her body in the opposite direction, but one strong tug and she was back in his arms. She swallowed hard. "What if I punch you again?"

"Your punches don't hurt."

"Then what if I kick you?"

"Only your arms move when you sleep."

"But what if-"

"Soo-yah," he interrupted, "if you go away, you'll just freeze and crawl back, and then I'll have to warm you up again. It's better this way."

Instead of feeling touched by his concern and forethought, she was mortified by the underlying meaning behind such words. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

He sighed. There was no denying it was inconvenient, but it was something that she could not help, after all, and therefore warranted no apology. To take her mind off her self-pity, he offered her his palm. "Write down all the words you learned today."

She did it eagerly, rolling onto her back so she could free her dominant right hand and use her left to hold his steady.

"And… friend." She felt proud when she finished and returned to lying on her side. "Two moons chasing each other. I would have thought them lovers more than friends."

He smirked, thinking she had a point there. Then, opening her left hand, which she had left on his chest, he wrote on its palm the actual symbol of love. 愛.

"Heart," she whispered, recognizing the middle character. "Heart between what?"

"冖 cover-cloth. 夂 moving slowly."

Internally, she cursed her dirty thoughts and fought to close her mind so as to curb her emotions. _Friend. He's just a friend. Your marriage is temporary._

She blushed and thanked the darkness that he couldn't see her face because not only were they currently under layers of cloth, but this relationship they had - if it were ever to come to fruition - was certainly taking its time getting there. Or was it?

Was the character for love formed with lovemaking in mind, with two hearts directly over each other, moving the relationship from the confines of friendship into something more? If that were the case, she was inclined to disagree. Love was more than sex, she always thought. Love, to her, was choosing heart over friendship. It was a decision… just like it had been a bad decision on her part to fall in love with her ex.

He cleared his throat. "Moving more in context of walking. If you view it in your mind, the character rather resembles a person walking at leisure."

"Does it?" she mumbled, distracted. She tried to imagine what he could mean. "Yes, I suppose it does." Perhaps she had misjudged the character. Perhaps what it meant was two people decently clothed, getting acquainted with each others' hearts while ambling together, even metaphorically through life. That certainly painted a different image, one vastly more wholesome than the previous. It also encompassed more than just love between man and woman.

Embarrassed by her unwholesome musings from earlier, she said nothing more, and neither did he.

Still, she felt she had to show her appreciation for his understanding and patience over the past few days, and decided that once they were out again, she would spend her time thinking up ways to make it up to him.

But for now…

She impressed a quick kiss upon his cheek, hoping it would suffice as her apology for their present circumstances and for when she would have to leave them all, as well as her gratitude for all he's done for her and their companions thus far.

"Goodnight," was all she said as she pulled the sheets up over her head to cover her embarrassment. She noted how fast his heart was beating under her ear, and had to suppress a smile at the knowledge that she had caught him off-guard.

Later, though the servants would knock and call for them repeatedly, the door to the fourth prince's room would remain closed, and their dinner left untouched 'til morning.

Hae Hanjae's lazy smile upon hearing this report over breakfast was not shared by his brother, who raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you certain they are even still alive?"

"For sure, master," the head maid replied obsequiously, "the ladies reported hearing Lady Hae shouting when they exchanged the dinner tray for breakfast."

Hae Hajin merely snorted and resumed eating, ignoring his younger brother's look of triumph.

"Then I think better conditions are in order," Hanjae remarked imperiously, turning to the head maid. "You know what to do."

She bowed her head. "Yes, master."

"In addition, inform Grand General Park that I wish to speak with him. It is about time we fulfilled our end of the bargain."

.

* * *

.

When he fell asleep last night, So never imagined he would be woken up the next morning by an alarming shriek and, if that was not enough to fully jolt him into consciousness, a familiar little body landing squarely on his person.

For her part, Soo had never intended to wake him so rudely, but all her delicate maneuvering over and around his body proved pointless the moment her bare toes came in contact with the icy floor. It seemed to have reached subzero temperature overnight, a distinction heightened by her comfortably warmed feet.

"Omo," she gasped in horror, hearing him audibly grunt and double over. "Are you alright?"

'What…" he grumbled, falling back onto the bed with a sigh after a precursory survey around the room revealed no overt dangers, "what happened?"

Sheepishly, she tucked her offended toes beneath her. "I did not expect the floor to be so cold."

He fixed her with a flat stare.

"Sorry," she mumbled in embarrassment before hastily getting off him and tumbling to the floor. She hissed at the cold and wondered if running to the loo would be better than crawling there.

So took notice of the subtle sunlight being filtered in through the hanji covering the upper walls of the room, which should not have been this bright, unless…

A knock on the door forced him to sit up. Attendants called on them from beyond, but So was too flummoxed to immediately open it.

It was not so much the fact that he had been woken up by Soo falling all over him that bothered him… but the fact that it had taken that much to wake him at all, when he normally would have woken up at the barest of movements. Unless Soo was incredibly careful and light on her feet, which she wasn't, her waking and stretching alone should have woken him up… but not only did he sleep through that, he had even slept through her skirting around him to the floor.

He glanced up at the hanji a second time, just as another knock broke through the quiet in her temporary absence.

Opening the door, he was greeted by the same ladies who brought in their food every morning.

They bowed as low as can be managed while holding onto trays of hot food, and filed in when he wordlessly bade them entry.

"Is that food?" Soo asked, returning upon their exit. Quick as she could, she crossed the room to the table and sat down, tucking her cold feet beneath her legs. They had gone to bed without dinner last night and she was famished. The stir fried fish laden with vegetables looked scrumptious, and the piping hot fish soup that accompanied it demanded her immediate attention. "I suppose we won't be having too much fresh vegetables soon," she mumbled on account of the many vegetable side dishes laid before her. The kitchens would likely dispense of them before they spoiled, or else preserve them in brine. She wondered if making kimchi before its invention would alter the world's future for the worse. She decided not to test it. "Shall we?"

She put vegetables and chunks of fish on his rice as he sat down, completely oblivious to his internal dilemma.

Putting her chopsticks to her lips, she sheepishly asked, "Did I hit you at all last night?"

"No," he replied, wondering if that was the actual truth as he had no recollection of any physical assault other than the one that woke him.

"Oh!" she said, brightening. That was an improvement. Coloring slightly, she thought the reason for her good behavior was likely that she had been too comfortable in her sleep for her body to complain. As a discrete form of thanks, she ceremoniously poured him a cup of tea.

Midway through breakfast, there was another knock on their door. As this was the first time anyone has bothered them outside delivering them food, they exchanged puzzled looks.

"More vegetables?" she hazarded.

 _Not likely_ , he thought in amusement, getting up. He took the blanket off the bed as an afterthought and gave it to her. Once she had covered herself with it, he opened the door.

To their surprise, they were greeted by a dozen ladies, all of them bearing things on their arms.

"Good morning," the head maid greeted, entering first. With a wave of her hand, the ladies filed in and immediately got to work around the room.

Afraid that they might inspect her and find her still untouched, Soo quickly got off her seat and hid behind the prince, hoping his intimidating aura might dissuade them from coming near.

"My masters wish to have an audience with the fourth prince this morning at his earliest convenience," the head maid said with deference.

So frowned but did not say anything.

They watched in silence as the ladies busied themselves - replacing old candles, inserting hot stones beneath newly changed sheets, cleaning the floor and furniture, and even stocking the cabinet at the far corner with fresh robes and linens.

"You would be much more comfortable going outside in fresh clothes," the head maid said suddenly, addressing Soo.

At this, she panicked, knowing full well that they intended to undress her. From there, it would be all too easy for them to feel her up.

But her prince, in a voice as severe as the frown upon his face, warned, "Do what you must... but I will not tolerate any indecencies performed on her person."

The head maid had expected resistance and smiled benignly. "I will personally see to it that such a violation does not occur."

Evidently, her word was not enough to satisfy the prince, who commanded in a tone that demanded obedience, "Let her undress in private. Her sokchima she can don herself."

Soo watched this silent battle of wills between her husband and the head maid, wondering who would win. To the surprise of no one, the former won, by both rank and virtue of intimidation. Thus, Soo gratefully accepted the sokchima and padded quickly to the backroom to change.

It was only as they were dressing her that she wondered... when was it that she started thinking of him as _her prince_? And, perhaps more importantly, _her husband_? She met his watchful gaze from across the room and found herself blushing. Love was a choice, she had always believed that, and, on account of all that had transpired and would transpire in days to come, it was imperative for her to draw the line now and decide to see him as just a good friend.

.

* * *

.

Soo was grateful for Myunghee's tact. It was past noon and all the princes had been summoned to a meeting, of which the women were unwelcome. So there they were, sitting in the kitchen and passing the time by grinding up herbs, curing meat and vegetables, and there was Myunghee, occasionally stealing covert glances Soo's way, but not saying anything until most of the help had gone out to deliver trays of sweets and refreshments to the men.

"Here," she said in a low voice, pressing a tiny jar into Soo's hand. "I know it must have been uncomfortable and even painful, so I had this prepared. It always helped me after contact with my own husband. You'll feel better after a while."

Soo was not sure what to feel first. Of course, she was grateful for Myunghee's thoughtfulness, guilty about the deceit, and felt awful about what this meant for Myunghee's marital life. Either the eighth prince did not know how to bed a woman properly, or he simply didn't care enough about his wife to do it. Providing him with an heir had been Myunghee's top duty, and Soo wondered if their lack of success had caused the prince to stop caring about his wife's comfort altogether, or if it meant he had taken her every night in the hope that whatever they could not achieve through quality congress, they might through quantity. Whatever the scenario, he had caused her cousin pain and discomfort, and Soo hated him all the more for it.

Her throat thick with angry tears, she hugged Myunghee fiercely and thanked her. At night before bed, she would make it a point to add to her prayers for Myunghee to find a man who can treat her right, the way she deserves to be treated.

"Oh, here you both are," Soondeok said, entering the kitchen looking relieved though slightly distracted. "It's good to see you outside again, Soo-yah."

"It's good to see you, too. Is something the matter?" Soo asked, pocketing the little jar carefully.

Myunghee also picked up on Soondeok's apprehension. "It's alright, Soondeok-ah, you can tell us what's bothering you. There is no one nearby to eavesdrop."

"Unnie... Soo-yah..." she said, lips quivering. "I think I might be pregnant."

Such was their shock that Soo and Myunghee exclaimed at once, "What?!"

Soo had no idea Eun and Soondeok had even, finally, consummated their marriage, much more that they had done it often enough for the young woman to suspect herself pregnant. _Although,_ she supposed, _for some people,_ _it only takes once to get the work done._

"What makes you say that?" Soo asked, bewildered, unable to stop her eyes from traveling downwards. Soondeok had neither winced uncomfortably, nor waddled upon entering, the way a true virgin might after first time intercourse, which meant whenever they had sex, it wasn't recent. "Do you feel nauseous? Have your monthly cycles stopped? Do your breasts hurt?"

Soondeok looked scandalized. "No."

"Then... what makes you think you're-?"

"He kissed me."

The silence that followed this statement was so pronounced, Soo thought she must have gone deaf. "Er... kissed you where?" she decided to ask to be sure, but Soondeok only looked at her like she was stupid for asking such a question, which told Soo one thing: Soondeok was an innocent as they came.

"Wait, so your husband kissed you?" Myunghee clarified, to which Soondeok nodded. "Did he do... anything else?"

"No," Soondeok said, relaxing slightly. "Should he have done?"

Soo thought better about laughing. With a genial pat of the hand, she said, "Don't worry, Soondeok-ah... you're not pregnant."

"Deok-ah, when a man and woman consummate their marriage..." Myunghee sighed. Since they were on the subject, it had become incumbent upon her and Soo to explain to their innocent sister-in-law exactly what had to be done for a woman to get with child. Someone should have done so before the marriage, but since the poor girl was without a mother or a sister to turn to, Soo couldn't fault her for her ignorance.

Afterwards, Soo and Myunghee hoped, as they watched Soondeok flee, that the horrified look on her face would abate by evening, especially now that it seemed the tenth prince was finally willing to take his role as husband seriously.

.

* * *

.

"We leave tomorrow."

Surprised by the sudden announcement, Soo stopped brushing her hair and turned to her husband. "That soon."

"The fortress at Pyongyang is growing by the day. We can no longer afford to dally," he explained, looking up from the map on the table for the first time that evening. Getting to his feet, he walked over to her and said in a low voice, "I'll be frank. We've managed to fool them for now... but if by the time I return, you aren't with child, they will likely demand that we sleep in the same room again for some days."

Soo had to prioritize this information. "How long will you be gone, exactly?"

"A moon's cycle, at least."

 _So long_. She tried to adjust her feelings as she was feeling confused, sorrowful, and anxious all at once. "Do you think we can fool them a second time?" For the lack of bodily fluids from their sheets was suspicious enough this time... a second time and her uncles would know for sure that the marriage had not yet been legalized.

He pursed his lips. "I do not know."

She nodded, expecting the answer. And then, steeling her nerves, she said quietly, "In any case... I don't mind." She wondered if he understood what she was implying, but they were both silent, assessing each other. Soo had Myunghee's gift and, currently, the right disposition. If tonight he wished to further things between them... she knew she would not stop him.

"A month, then," he said quietly at last, turning away. "Sleep, Soo-yah. Don't wait for me."

Trying not to think too much into the conversation, Soo finished brushing her hair and got into bed. He had extinguished all candlelight earlier, save for the one he had on the table with him, but the room was no longer so cold as to warrant him lying beside her. The hot stones beneath their bed provided a comfortable heat, as did the brazier by the wall. Still, she found, as she tossed and turned, she was not comfortable at all.

At length, she did find sleep... and when the next day she woke, it was to discover the space beside her cold and untouched, and, even without taking that solemn turn around the room, she knew that he had already gone.

* * *

 **Hehe I bet you thought something else was going to happen with that chapter title XD Sadly, not yet. I've decided to delay their consummation... until something. Rest assured, it will be a special moment.**

 **Also... sooooo sorry for the late update! Been busy... and as I've forgotten most of the Chinese I've learned from Elementary school up to High school, I had to do some massive research for this chapter. Hehe this goes without saying... please don't expect the information here to be 100% accurate, because for one, I am using modern Chinese and, for another, this is but a work of fiction :D**

 **Thank you for the kind reviews in the previous chapter! I'm glad many of you liked it. Here's to hoping you liked this one, too :)**


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